South Carolina H 3621: A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO REQUEST THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NAME THE INTERSECTION LOCATED AT THE JUNCTION OF SOUTH CAROLINA HIGHWAY 187 AND SOUTH CAROLINA HIGHWAY 29 IN ANDERSON COUNTY "PAUL ROBINSON EARLE MEMORIAL INTERSECTION", AND ERECT APPROPRIATE MARKERS OR SIGNS AT THIS INTERSECTION CONTAINING THIS DESIGNATION.

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 3621 Text of Previous Version (Dec. 12, 2024) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 3621

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ENACTING THE 
"HEALTHY STUDENTS ACT" BY AMENDING SECTION 59-10-10, RELATING TO PHYSICAL 
ACTIVITY STANDARDS FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS, SO AS TO REQUIRE NINETY 
MINUTES OF WEEKLY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, 
TO INCLUDE SECOND GRADE STUDENTS AMONG THOSE WHOSE FITNESS STATUSES MUST BE 
REPORTED, AND TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO PROVIDE A SUMMARY 
REPORT OF THE FITNESS STATUS OF STUDENTS IN CERTAIN GRADES IN EACH SCHOOL 
DISTRICT; BY AMENDING SECTION 59-10-310, RELATING TO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MEAL AND 
COMPETITIVE FOOD NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS, SO AS TO REMOVE THE RESTRICTIONS ON 
THE APPLICATION OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS TO THE SCHOOL YEAR; BY AMENDING SECTION 
59-10-330, RELATING TO THE ESTABLISHMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF COORDINATED SCHOOL 
HEALTH ADVISORY COUNCILS TO PERFORM CERTAIN FUNCTIONS, SO AS TO REMOVE 
PROVISIONS CONCERNING POLICIES LIMITING VENDING MACHINE AND SNACK FOOD SALES; 
TO REDESIGNATE CHAPTER 10, TITLE 59 OF THE S.C. CODE AS "PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, 
SCHOOL HEALTH SERVICES, AND NUTRITIONAL STANDARDS"; TO REDESIGNATE ARTICLE 1, 
CHAPTER 10, TITLE 59 OF THE S.C. CODE AS "PHYSICAL ACTIVITY STANDARDS"; AND BY 
REPEALING SECTION 59-10-340 RELATING TO SNACKS IN SCHOOL VENDING MACHINES.

Whereas, childhood 
obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the 
past thirty years; and 

Whereas, overweight and 
obese children face increased incidence of various health related conditions, 
such as increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, some 
forms of cancer, and other chronic diseases; and

Whereas, obesity places 
a huge economic burden on our State with expenses well over one billion dollars 
each year; and

Whereas, schools can 
play a critical role in combating childhood obesity by providing an environment 
where policies and practices support healthy behavior and young people learn to 
take responsibility for their own lifelong health; and

Whereas, the General 
Assembly is committed to addressing the childhood obesity epidemic by ensuring 
that schools provide increased opportunities for physical activity during the 
school day for all children, as well as ensuring their food options are healthy 
and nutritious; and

Whereas, furthermore, 
these goals will assist all students in reaching their full academic potential 
as a child's health impacts his school attendance, readiness to learn, 
potential learning, and achievement. Now, therefore,

Be it enacted by the 
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. This act may be cited as the "Healthy Students Act."

SECTION 2. Section 59-10-10 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
59-10-10. (A)(1) 
The goal of this article is to provide every elementary student with the 
equivalent of thirty minutes of physical activity daily.

 (2)(a) Beginning in the 2006-2007 school year, students in kindergarten through fifth 
grade must be provided a minimum of one hundred fifty minutes a week of 
physical education and physical activity. In 2006-2007, 
a minimum of sixty minutes a week must be provided in physical education, and 
as Section 59-10-20 is phased in, the minimum time for physical education must 
be increased to ninety minutes a week.

 (b) Beginning in the 2022-2023 School 
Year, students in sixth grade through twelfth grade must be provided a minimum 
of ninety minutes of physical activity each week, integrated into the classroom 
experience throughout each school day.

 (3) The certified physical 
education teacher to student ratio is designed to provide students in 
kindergarten through fifth grade with scheduled physical education either every 
day or on alternate days throughout the school year and must be based on the 
South Carolina Physical Education Curriculum Standards. The student to teacher 
ratio in a physical education class may not exceed the average student to 
teacher ratio of 28 to 1.

 (4) An individual student's fitness 
status must be reported to his parent or guardian during a student's fifth 
grade, eighth grade, and high school physical education courses.

 (5) The physical activity must 
be planned and coordinated by the Physical Education Activity Director pursuant 
to Section 59-10-30.

 (B) A 
student may be exempted from these physical education and activity requirements 
required by subsection (A) by seeking a waiver as outlined in Section 
59-29-80(B).

 (C) 
During each year of implementation of the reduced student to physical education 
teacher ratio, each district shall report to the State Department of Education 
by June fifteenth, the number