The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1922-12-04
TRAINING IN
HEALTH PART
OF EDUCATION
Twenty-eight States Now
Have Laws Covering
This Subject

TWenty-eight states now have
physical education laws. These are
Of all degrees of effective, some so
weak as to to be of little influence.
Twelve states have state supervi-
sors Of physical education to adj
minister the laws. In most of
these laws it is specified that
health instruction and training is
a part Of the program Of physical
education. Seventeen of these
laws have been enacted since 1913.
The prospect is good for the en-
actment of laws in Several other
states during the present year.
Thirty-nine states have school
health supervision Tor medical
Inspection laws. They vary all
the way from very weak permits
sive laws to strong and effective
mandatory laws. They vary also
with respect to their scope. Some
require no more than that the
teachers shall examine the vision
and hearing of children SOME re-
qulre a general medical exan1ina-
ton by a physician and make pro
vision or follow-up and corrective
work Some provide for physic
ians only, some for nurses only,
some for both. Some specify fl
nancial support and some leave
this matter in the air. In general
the states having the strongest
laws have the best service though
there is some school health super,
vision maintained in every state,
law or no law.
In general also the large cities
have the most complete service.
Practically all cities in the country
with school enrolment of 10000
or more have such supervision and
employ physicians or nurses or
both; whereas, of the cities with
only approximately 80 per cent
have any form of supervision.
The rural districts are even
worse off, as only about 30 per
cent of the counties of the country
have any form of school health
supervision.
No exact figures are available
as to the expenditures throughout
the nation for physical education
and school health work. A fair es-
innate, based upon reasonably ac-
curate reports from a few states,
would be from SI2,000,0040 to $15,
100000 IS the year 1921. Fairly
accurate data show tat between
1918 and 1922 there has been an
increase of about S650000 in the
amounts expended throughout the
United States for the preparation
and employment of teachers of
physical education. (This does not
include nurses and phySieians.)
California registered an increase
from 1920 to 1921 of about $685.
000
The amount contributed by vol
untary organizations such as the
Red Cross, the tuberculosis asso-
citations, the women's clubs, local
welfare and civic bodies, and the
great foundations are not known;
but it is certain that the aggre-
gate is large and that there has
been a substantial increase since
1918. The total expenditures for
municipal Fairgrounds last year
was $8,8OO,000. The value of the
same was $5,000,000
More schools than ever before
are provided with something like
adequate Fairgrounds, but no one
can say how many are still with
out grounds. 1t is safe to say that
fewer schools in tie future will be
constructed on the "1ess than 30
per cent American" plan. There is
as annual increase in the number
of communities maintaining mum
icipal Fairgrounds, supported eth
er wholly or partly by public
funds. The last year book of the
playground and recreation associa-
ton of America SHOWS that up
wards of 500 towns and cities
maintain Fairgrounds under paid
leadership. 1t is to be noted, how
ever, that practically no city under
1900 population is included in
this list of municipality supported
Fairgrounds. Some such are main
taind by women's clubs and civic
organizations.
We are about as far along in our
journey towards complete physi-
cal education and health training
of all our children as was Christ
ian just after he got out of the
slough of Despond. We are spend
ing a fraction of the money that
ought to be spent on this work and
have perhaps tenth of the
trained leadership needed to make
the program effective. At present
about one-tenth of the 100000
children of school age are receiv-
ing anything which even pretends
to be adequate physical education
and health training. With progress
in state and national legislation.
and with the new interest of pow
erful voluntary organizations, with
improved facilities for preparation
of leaders, we may confidently