Physically Active School Systems (PASS)

Overview

Physical fitness is essential to the development of healthy and productive students and is an important component of Connecticut’s overall education goals. The Red Ribbon Physically Active School System (PASS) program award provides recognition to schools that embrace guidance from the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 3rd Edition that “children and adolescents ages 6 through 17 years should do 60 minutes (1 hour) or more of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily.” When children are physically active for at least 60 minutes or more on a daily basis, benefits in health and academic performance have been reported.1 Because school-age children spend much of their waking hours in a school setting, schools can assist students in meeting this goal by incorporating opportunities for physical activity throughout the school day and across all grade-levels. 

Forty school districts are eligible to apply as a Highly Performing PASS 2 district and 31 districts are eligible to apply as an Improving PASS 3 district. The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) invites superintendents from PASS eligible districts to nominate their schools or districts for the Red Ribbon PASS award. 

 

Application deadline: October 15, 2019

Contact:

Donna Heins, Education Consultant
Red Ribbon PASS Program Manager 
CSDE, Bureau of Health/Nutrition, Family Services, and Adult Education 
Phone: 860-807-2082
E-mail: donna.heins@ct.gov

 

 

1 https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/health_and_academics/pdf/pa-pe_paper.pdf

2 District that earned at least 85 percent of available points on Indicator II: Physical Fitness, on
   Connecticut’s Next Generation Accountability System in 2017-18. See Appendix D of the
   PASS Application.

3 District whose percentage of points earned on Indicator II: Physical Fitness, on Connecticut’s
   Next Generation Accountability System in 2017-18 has increased by five percentage points from 
   school year 2016-17 and whose percentage of points earned on Indicator II in 2017-2018 is
   at least 50 percent. See Appendix D of the PASS Application.