Kentucky’s maximum class-size rule specifically excludes physical education classes from cap enforcement (702 KAR 3:190).
Instruction must align with the Kentucky Academic Standards for Physical Education, which define minimum content requirements and are incorporated by reference into state regulations (704 KAR 8:050, § 704 KAR 4:010).
Students may be exempt from the one-half (0.5) unit high school physical education requirement if a licensed physician certifies that participation is not in the best interest of the student’s health (704 KAR 4:010). Additionally, a student may be exempt from physical education if the student’s parents and religious leader certify that the child is a member of a religious denomination opposed to physical education or attire (704 KAR 4:010). Separately, JROTC meets the physical education unit by statute (KRS 156.160[1][a]2).
Local school districts must annually assess and report on the physical activity environment in elementary schools, including the amount and type of activity provided. A public forum must be held each year to discuss findings, and improvement plans for school physical activity and wellness programs (KRS 158.856).
No explicit fitness assessment requirements for students were found in the regulations.
School districts may levy a tax to fund the construction, maintenance, and equipping of physical education and athletic facilities, which is managed in a School Building Fund (KRS 160.476). The State Board for Elementary and Secondary Education regulations set sanitary/protective construction and equipment standards (KRS 156.160[1][g]) and governs site approval and minimum site acreage (702 KAR 4:050).
Regulations do not explicitly mention online physical education. They include provisions that may allow online delivery through alternative instructional formats approved by Local Education Agencies (LEAs).
Physical education teachers must hold a valid Kentucky teaching certification, which includes completion of required coursework and passing a Praxis content assessment in Physical Education (16 KAR 6:010 § 2[5][g],[l], 16 KAR 2:010 §4[2][f]4). Adapted physical education is not specifically mentioned as a separate certification requirement.
LEAs must provide students with disabilities access to physical education services, including specially designed instruction if required by an IEP. Schools must also ensure that students with disabilities have an equal opportunity to participate in extracurricular athletics and physical activities (707 KAR 1:290 § 6[1]–[2]).
The Governor’s Council on Wellness and Physical Activity oversees wellness programs and can receive and administer funding for physical activity initiatives in schools. Appropriated funds do not lapse at the end of the fiscal year (KRS 12.550).
Federal local wellness policy (for the National School Lunch/School Breakfast Program LEAs) runs under 7 C.F.R. §210.31; Each superintendent of the school board must evaluate the elementary physical activity environment and submit the report to the Department of Education by May 1 as part of an annual public forum to discuss nutrition and physical activity policies and submit a summary of recommendations to the Kentucky Board of Education (KRS 158.856). K–5 school wellness policies must include daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (KRS 160.345[11]).
No specific criteria for evaluating physical education teachers were found in the regulations.
Recent updates require schools to publicly assess and report their physical activity programs and school boards must hold annual discussions on school wellness policies (KRS 158.856).
Regulations assign responsibility for physical education policy implementation to LEAs through curriculum standards and graduation requirements. The regulations include enforcement provisions such as required school wellness policies, district-level reporting, and periodic program reviews by the Kentucky Department of Education. They do not include specific penalties for noncompliance (KRS 158.856; 702 KAR 6:090 §4–5).
For more details, call the Kentucky Department of Education at (502) 564–3141, email kdeinfo@education.ky.gov, or go to 300 Sower Blvd, Frankfort, KY 40601.