The research strongly supports the inclusion of physical activity as a boost to learning and maintaining wellness, both physical and mental. My one concern was mandating the amount of time when there are already so many mandated elements in place for schools. I see now that it reads, "with a goal of 30 minutes daily." I support this bill, HB 873.

While we support the intent of HB 873 to promote student wellness, the bill is not feasible within the current elementary school day. School divisions are already required to implement extensive literacy instruction, intervention, and tutoring mandates under the Virginia Literacy Act. These requirements leave little to no flexibility in scheduling. Increasing required physical activity minutes without adjusting existing instructional mandates or extending the school day forces divisions into impossible trade-offs and makes compliance unrealistic. For these reasons, we cannot support HB 873 as currently drafted.