Health and Physical Education 10

Physical education in tenth grade is required for graduation and offers students an elective approach to physical education. At the beginning of each quarter, students register for an activity strand (team sports, individual sports, outdoor recreation or exploratory activities). Once a week, students participate in health lessons/activities that incorporate the Virginia Health Standards of Learning and the Virginia Wellness Related Physical Fitness tests. Students develop personal fitness plans, use pedometers to measure activity and use heart rate monitors to measure the intensity of physical activity. Driver Education is taught during the second and third quarters only and meets the 36-hour instructional period requirement for classroom instruction. CPR instruction typically takes place during the fourth quarter.

In addition to the 36 classroom hours ACPS provides, persons under 18 years of age must also complete 14 in-car training sessions with a privately hired instructor and 45 hours of certified driving with a parent or guardian in order to get a driver’s license. For more information go to the Virginia DMV website.

An amendment to § 22.1-205 Driver education programs, House Bill 1782, passed by the General Assembly of Virginia, calls for an additional parent/student driver education component to be included as part of the in-classroom portion of the driver education curriculum. In compliance with the new legislation, ACPS requires a 90-minute parent/student traffic safety presentation, to include a) parental responsibilities regarding juvenile driver behavior, b) juvenile driving restrictions pursuant to the Code of Virginia, and c) the dangers of driving while intoxicated and underage consumption of alcohol.

In addition, students will receive age-appropriate Family Life Education instruction in this course. Content will be based on state Standards of Learning, and parents/guardians will have the opportunity to opt their children out of instruction.