York County, SC (WCNC) - An intense debate is happening in the South Carolina State House as lawmakers decide whether marching band should count as a physical education credit.
State law requires high school students to have at least one credit of P.E. before graduation. In 1996, the law was amended to allow JROTC classes to count as P.E. credits. Supporters of the proposed bill said marching band is just as rigorous as any P.E. course.
“The students have to have a lot of conditioning; they have to be in shape,” said Joe Gulledge, the band director at Clover High School.
Gulledge is also the vice president of the South Carolina Band Directors Association, a group advocating for marching band courses to count toward P.E. credit.
“We have students moving up at speeds upward of 160 to 200 beats per minute holding a 20 pound baritone,” said Gulledge. “We also monitor the students’ diets; they eat a lot of salad.”
Gulledge also said band directors focus on the importance of hydrating students as they practice for hours in the middle of the summer in scorching temperatures. Yet, opponents of the bill say that’s not enough.
During a Senate subcommittee in March, Senator Rex Rice, a Republican from Pickens County, discussed the concerns he received from physical education advocates.
“One of the calls I had about this this morning is not the physical activity side but the education side.”
Meanwhile, one of the sponsors of the bill, Sen. Vince Sheheen, found humor in the concern.
“The whole argument that marching band doesn’t meet the criteria of P.E. is pretty laughable,” said Sheheen. “P.E. can now be taken online.”
The state department of education is now offering a series of online courses which include P.E. classes. The requirements stated students are expected to work on their own allowing up to nine hours a week for physical activity, which includes jumping jacks, toe touches, and crunches.
The S.C. Band Directors Associations said these are all exercise required for marching band members.
“Something about that just sounds wrong, virtual physical education, said Gulledge. “The hands on is much better than a student writing down a log, and maybe they did it, and maybe they didn’t.”
The bill unanimously passed through the Senate and House education subcommittees. It’s now headed to the full committee.