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Hatboro-Horsham presents K–12 health and physical education review, recommends K–5 alignment and a grade 2–5 pilot
Summary
District curriculum staff and teachers reported a yearlong review of K–12 health and physical education on June 2, 2025, recommended aligning K–5 scope and sequence across elementary schools, piloting a health education resource for grades 2–5 this summer, expanding professional learning and increasing daily physical activity opportunities.
Dr. Ryan Thomas, supervisor of curriculum for the Hatboro-Horsham School District, presented the results of a year-long review of the district’s K–12 health and physical education program at the board’s June 2 work session.
The review, led by a committee of district teachers and administrators, concluded there is variability across elementary schools in scope and sequence and recommended aligning a K–5 scope and sequence, piloting a health education resource at the 2–5 level this summer and expanding daily physical activity and professional learning for HPE staff.
The review team—Dr. Thomas and teachers Jessica Flack (Simmons Elementary, health and PE), Eric Shea (middle school health/PE), Dana Ciccone (high school) and Wendy Ampin (elementary representative)—said they met monthly since September to develop a philosophy statement, transfer goals and a scope-and-sequence that ties health instruction to physical education.
“We separated our philosophy statement into 3 categories. Really, we want to just make sure we're touching all parts of the child,” Jessica Flack said, adding the curriculum seeks to address students’ emotional, physical and social well-being.
Eric Shea described the review’s emphasis on health literacy and life-long activity: “With health literacy, we're looking for students to be able to make informed decisions about their own health, informed decisions that they can advocate for their own health, and also for community health.”
The committee reported it grounded recommendations in an internal literature review and external standards and resources, specifically the Educational Advisory Board (EAB), the Pennsylvania Department of Education standards for health and physical education (last revised in 2002) and Shape America’s national standards (updated 2024). The team identified five program priorities: a well-designed curriculum with common scope and sequence, sustained professional learning for teachers, supported supervision, explicit health instruction distinct from incidental learning in PE, and accessibility for all learners.
Key areas of need the presenters named included variability in the elementary K–5 scope and sequence, the absence of a common health education resource at grades 2–5, limited daily physical activity beyond scheduled PE and the need for more targeted, specialized professional learning for HPE staff. As immediate next steps the team recommended districtwide alignment of K–5 scope and sequence, vertical curriculum alignment through K–12, piloting a health education resource for grades 2–5 this summer, seeking opportunities to increase daily physical activity (brain breaks, extended recess, movement within classroom instruction) and expanding professional learning opportunities.
Dr. Thomas said the full report and materials will be posted to the district curriculum page and the team intends to continue the work into next year. Board members asked clarifying questions about which administrative routines reduce activity time; Dr. Thomas said scheduling constraints, not classroom teachers’ choices, are the primary limiter and the committee is exploring ways to embed activity into classroom time.
The presentation was a committee report and included recommendations for staff implementation; no formal board vote was taken on the recommendations at the June 2 work session.
