Pro: Giving students the opportunity to get physically active throughout the day, especially considering students spend most of their day sitting down, is very important for a student’s physical and mental health. Whether it be burning fat and developing a stronger heart through cardiovascular exercise, or lifting weights and pushing one’s body to its limits, the human body ends up benefiting tremendously. The National Institutes of Health states physical activity can lead to, “decreasing and preventing conditions such as anxiety and depression, as well as improving mood and other aspects of well-being.” Requiring students to perform structured physical activity throughout their school day helps engrave a routine in them from a young age. Without requiring physical activity, a world where humans are less physically active develops. In turn, a generation where fewer people get to experience the benefits of physical activity arises.

Con: Today, you must take a physical education class to graduate from Crown Point High School. This rule is unjust for a number of reasons. First of all, it is inconsiderate of people who have higher aspirations than a gym class. This takes away a very important opportunity that students have to learn and instead forces them into manual labor that many individuals find ways out of anyway. Instead of wasting students’ time by having a mandatory gym class allow them to gain work experience (in the summer) or take a class that will better prepare them for their career of choice. Additionally, required gym classes do not take into consideration a student’s preferred methods of physical activity. For example, if one student gets their physical activity from swimming, while another gets theirs from lifting, there is no reason to pit these students against each other in a game of wiffleball. In conclusion, while providing physical education classes is important to schools and students, it should not be required for students who do not want to participate in these activities.