IDEA authorizes federal funding for the needs of school-age children with a range of disabilities, such as specific learning disabilities, speech and language impairments, or mental retardation, who need special education services (see fig. 1). In 2007-2008, students covered under IDEA made up about 13 percent of the nation’s public prekindergarten through 12th grade school enrollment and, in fiscal year 2007, states received $10.8 billion in federal funds to provide services to school-age students. To receive federal funds, states and local educational agencies must identify and evaluate children who have a disability and provide special education and related services, as well as supplementary aids and services when necessary, to those who are eligible. Such services and supports are formulated in an individualized education program (IEP), which is developed, discussed, and documented by a student’s IEP team. An IEP team must generally include, among others, the parents of the child, a general education teacher, a special education teacher, and the child when appropriate. IDEA also requires the placement of students in the least restrictive environment—in which students with disabilities are educated with students without disabilities—to the maximum extent appropriate. Regarding PE, IDEA regulations specify that schools must generally provide opportunities for students to participate in regular or general PE classes or, in some cases, specially designed PE if determined by the IEP team. Regarding extracurricular athletics, districts and schools must take steps to provide services to give students with disabilities an opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities, which may include athletics, equal to that of other students. Section 504 prohibits entities that receive federal financial assistance, including elementary and secondary (K-12) schools, from discriminating against otherwise qualified individuals with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended (ADA) is also a broad antidiscriminatory law protecting individuals with disabilities. Education interprets the ADA and Section 504 in a similar manner. While IDEA students are covered under Section 504, other students who are not covered under IDEA may still have a disability as defined under Section 504. Several of the most common disabilities of students included under Section 504, but not always covered under IDEA, are attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, diabetes, and asthma. In 2006, about 444,000 students with disabilities were covered under 504, and not IDEA, based on the most recent estimates from Education. These students may have an education plan developed under Section 504 that sets forth their needed regular or special education and related aids and services, but the federal requirements for such a plan are much less detailed than for an IEP. Similar to IDEA, Education’s Section 504 regulations require that students with disabilities be provided a free appropriate public education and learn alongside students without disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate. These Section 504 regulations also require that students with disabilities must be provided equal opportunities to participate in PE courses and extracurricular athletics. Unlike IDEA, however, Section 504 does not authorize any federal funding to schools to provide services to students. (See table 1 for more information on IDEA and Section 504.) At the federal level, Education is responsible for administering IDEA, as well as Section 504, as it applies to many educational institutions. The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) allocates federal funds to states for their implementation of IDEA programs and monitors states’ ability to provide a free, appropriate public education. For example, states must report to OSEP the amount of time that students who are covered under IDEA spend in their state’s general education classes, including PE. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR), through its headquarters and 12 regional offices, carries out enforcement activities related to Section 504, the ADA, and other antidiscrimination laws. These activities include investigating complaints of discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age. OSEP and OCR also help states and schools meet their federal requirements and improve the quality of education by issuing policy guidance, disseminating information, and providing technical assistance to individual institutions. Education funds and oversees numerous national and regional research and technical assistance providers, such as regional educational laboratories and national clearinghouses that disseminate information, research, and other support to policymakers and educators at the state and local levels. For example, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, which includes OSEP, supports a network of more than 40 national technical assistance centers, each with a focus on some aspect of special education. At state and district levels, various parties may be involved in providing students with opportunities in PE and extracurricular athletics. For instance, many states have requirements regarding their districts’ provision of PE, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Association of State Boards of Education. However, policies may vary by state or district, such as the required grades in which PE should be offered, the number of minutes students should be in class, or the specific content and curriculum areas that should be taught. For extracurricular athletics, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) is the national body that writes the rules of competition for most high school interscholastic sports—the main form of extracurricular athletic competition in schools, which includes varsity and junior-varsity level teams. In turn, each state has its own state high school athletic association which is a voluntary member of the NFHS. According to an NFHS official, NFHS does not establish standards or policies specifically regarding students with disabilities and each state athletic association develops its own standards and policies. In addition, most state high school athletic associations are not part of state departments of education, but are private organizations, according to NFHS officials. Students with disabilities generally attend PE class about the same amount of time as students without disabilities, according to national data and our site visits. Estimates from YRBS 2005 on high school students indicate that students with physical disabilities or long-term health problems attend PE classes for approximately the same amount of time as those without disabilities. For example, 29 percent of students with physical disabilities or long-term health problems attend PE class 5 days a week compared to 34 percent of students without disabilities (see fig. 2). In 12 schools and seven districts we visited, officials also told us that most students with disabilities are in PE class the same amount of time as students without disabilities. Officials from a few schools said that they actually provide a greater amount of instruction time in PE for some students with disabilities who have specific needs and take both general PE classes and specialized PE classes. National data show that among districts that require PE, many have policies allowing student to be exempt from PE due to long-term physical, medical, or cognitive disabilities. However, exemptions for students with disabilities were very rare according to officials in the 20 schools we visited. Rather than exempting students with disabilities from PE class entirely, a few schools we visited excuse some students from certain activities. For example, officials from one high school in New Jersey we visited told us that a few students with medical conditions, such as asthma, may be exempt from particular activities but that they are given alternative activities. Schools generally provided students with and without disabilities comparable opportunities to participate in PE, according to national data and our site visits. According to 2005 YRBS estimates, students with and without physical disabilities or long-term health problems spend similar amounts of time actually engaged in physical activity per class. For instance, 8 percent of students with physical disabilities or long-term health problems spend 41 to 50 minutes in a typical PE class exercisin playing sports compared to 9 percent of students without these disabilities. students we spoke with, said that students with disabilities often participate in PE to the same extent as their peers without disabilities. In addition, almost all state, district, and school officials we spoke with reported they rarely received complaints about PE from parents of students with disabilities. Several state and district officials said that while they hear complaints from parents in other areas, PE is generally an area in which parents se satisfied. Many district and schools officials, as well as some Various factors may affect students’ experience in PE, such as their school level (e.g., elementary or middle) or their type of disability. For instance, some parents and school officials said that PE teachers in elementary school may be able to more easily integrate students with disabilities in y their classes than those in secondary schools because peers in elementar school are more accepting, the equipment is more varied, and there is less focus on competitive games than in secondary school, which may be harder for students with disabilities to participate. Some district and school officials also said that middle school can be particularly difficu some students with disabilities who may have more difficulty changing into PE uniforms or opening combination locks on their PE lockers. However, some schools overcame these challenges by waiving their PE uniform policy or providing key locks to accommodate students with disabilities. In addition, some parents and school officials noted that ir whether a student has a physical or cognitive disability may affect the experience. For example, officials in one school said that while students with physical impairments required more accommodations, they also may have an easier time expressing their needs than students with cognitive disabilities. On the other hand, many district and school officials told us that students with emotional or behavioral disabilities usually participate in the same activities as other students and often excelled physically. Some noted that PE class can provide them a physical outlet that helps them focus their energy. These estimates have 95 percent confidence intervals within plus or minus 3 percentage points. National data indicate that most students with disabilities who took PE did so in general education classes with students who do not have disabilities. Specifically, 92 percent of students with disabilities in grades 1 through 7 took PE in general education classes, according to SEELS estimates. In grades 7 through 12, 88 percent of students with disabilities took PE in general education classes, according to NLTS2 estimates.