Daily Physical Activity

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Frequently Asked Questions

• Can a student be excused from the DPA requirement?
• Does DPA apply to distance learning students? (e.g., ‘in-school’ physical activity vs. activities ‘outside of school.’
• Does DPA apply to students with special needs?
• How are semestered schools with grades 8 - 12 implementing the 30 minutes for the 8's and 9's and the 150 minutes for grades 10-12?
• Can the 30 minutes of DPA for K-9 be averaged across the week?
• What counts? Does physical activity at recess and lunch count?
• Does the DPA requirement of 150 minutes per week replace the 80 hour requirement in Grad Transitions?
• What if students have already completed 80 hours of physical activity? Do they still have to do DPA?
• How do we monitor the 150 minutes per week requirement that is part of the Grad Transitions?
• Does Physical Education 11 and 12 fulfill the DPA requirement?

Q: Can a student be excused from the DPA requirement?

• Yes. Boards of Education/School Authorities are responsible for making decisions regarding student DPA exemptions. Page 7 of the Program Guide [80KB] outlines exemption guidelines.

Q: Does DPA apply to DL students? (e.g., ‘in-school’ physical activity vs. activities ‘outside of school.’

• Yes. DPA is required for all students, including those who are educated via distributed learning. Page 9 of the Planning and Resource Guide [256KB] outlines how DPA will apply for distributed learning students.

Q: Does DPA apply to students with special needs?

• Yes. Regular physical activity can be especially important for people with disabilities. Some students with special needs will be able to participate fully in the daily physical activity program and others will require adaptations or modifications to enjoy participating and experience success. Changes to the requirement would be done on an individual basis through consultation with Individual Education Plan team members, and Boards/Authorities can grant exemptions depending upon an individual student's abilities. Page 8 of the Planning and Resource Guide [256KB] offers further suggestions for supporting students with special needs.

Q: How are semestered schools with grades 8 - 12 implementing the 30 minutes for the 8's and 9's and the 150 minutes for grades 10 - 12?

• Boards are responsible for developing implementation guidelines for their district. There are ways for this to be accomplished.

Q: Can the 30 minutes of DPA for K-9 be averaged across the week?

• Schools are required to offer 30 minutes of physical activity each day (15 minutes per day for Kindergarten students). Schools have the autonomy to use school time (i.e., instructional and non-instructional) as they see fit to implement school-based DPA.

Q: What counts? Does physical activity at recess and lunch count?

• Structured and free-play activities students participate in during recess, lunch and after school can count! The activities must be supervised by a responsible adult.

Q: Does the DPA requirement of 150 minutes per week replace the 80 hour requirement in Grad Transitions?

• Yes. As of September 2008 students in grades 10 to 12 are expected to complete and record 150 minutes per week of physical activity at the moderate to vigorous level in each of grades 10, 11, and 12 as part of Graduation Transitions Program.

Q: What if students have already completed 80 hours of physical activity? Do they still have to do DPA?

• Students who have completed and signed-off the current physical activity requirements of 80 hours beyond PE 10, prior to September 2008, are considered to have completed the physical activity requirement of the Graduation Transitions Program.

Q: How do we monitor the 150 minutes per week requirement that is part of the Grad Transitions?

• Boards/Authorities are responsible for developing policies and procedures to track daily physical activity of students. School are free to develop their own tracking tools or to use common provincial tools that will be available to schools and students.

Q: Does Physical Education 11 and 12 fulfill the DPA requirement?

• Yes, provided students are physically active during class time for at least 150 minutes per week.