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Student Act

BILL NO. 185

(as introduced)

1st Session, 59th General Assembly
Nova Scotia
54 Elizabeth II, 2005



Private Member's Bill



Student Fitness Act



Wayne J. Gaudet
Clare



First Reading: May 3, 2005

Second Reading:

Third Reading:

An Act to Promote Physical Education
and Fitness in Schools

Be it enacted by the Governor and Assembly as follows:

1 This Act may be cited as the Student Fitness Act.

2 In this Act,

(a) "Committee" means the Healthy Students Advisory Committee established under Section 3;

(b) "Minister" means the Minister of Education;

(c) "school board" has the same meaning as in the Education Act.

3 There is hereby established a committee to be known as the Healthy Students Advisory Committee.

4 (1) The Committee consists of up to nine members appointed by the Minister.

(2) The Minister shall appoint a Chair.

(3) At least one member of the Committee shall be a physical education teacher employed in the Province.

(4) At least three members of the Committee shall be school teachers employed in the Province.

5 (1) The members of the Committee shall, notwithstanding the expiry of their term, serve until the Minister gives them notice of the end of their term.

(2) The Minister shall fill any vacancy on the Committee as required.

(3) The Committee members shall be paid such salary as the Minister determines.

6 The Committee shall

(a) provide advice to the Minister on the progress made toward fulfilling its duties under Section 7; and

(b) report to the House of Assembly on the progress made towards fulfilling the duties of the Committee under Section 7 and any further measures required to fulfill them.

7 The duties of the Committee are

(a) to ensure that every school provides 150 minutes per student per week of physical education;

(b) to compile and maintain data for each school board respecting

(i) the percentage of schools with a full-time and a part-time physical education teacher on staff,

(ii) wellness education programs in schools, and

(iii) the quality and availability of physical recreation facilities in each school;

(c) to develop a program of extra-curricular athletics for all schools in the Province;

(d) to ensure that every school in the Province has access to a physical education teacher to assist in planning a wellness curriculum to assist in the development of programs;

(e) to develop a province-wide curriculum for physical education at the elementary school level;

(f) to develop province-wide standards and indicators for the physical fitness of students; and

(g) to ensure that students at every school have reasonable access to recreational facilities and equipment outside normal hours of classroom instruction.

8 (1) The Committee shall report to the House of Assembly, no later than December 31st in each year, by filing a report with the Speaker of the House.

(2) The report referred to in subsection (1) must contain

(a) a report on the progress of the Committee toward achieving its duties;

(b) information on the level of funding designated to physical education programs and wellness activities by school board;

(c) recommendations for making further progress on fulfilling the duties of the Committee, including the adequacy of current levels of funding;

(d) any further information that the Committee determines is necessary; and

(e) any further requirements imposed by regulation.

9 The Minister shall provide to the House of Assembly on an annual basis a response to any recommendations for future steps made by the Committee.

10 (1) The Minister may make a regulation respecting requirements for the report referred to in Section 8.

(2) The exercise by the Minister of the authority contained in subsection (1) is regulations within the meaning of the Regulations Act.


This page and its contents published by the Office of the Legislative Counsel, Nova Scotia House of Assembly, and © 2005 Crown in right of Nova Scotia. Created May 3, 2005. Send comments to legc.office@novascotia.ca.