We hear the argument that cheerleading should be considered a sport, but what about show choir? Is it strenuous enough to exempt its participants from physical education?

If you're a high school student who can bust a move and carry a tune, you might not have to be able to shoot a basket if a new bill passes.

That's because a bipartisan bill continues to advance through the Iowa Legislature that would make show choir students across the state exempt from physical education requirements. The physical activity it involves makes show choir a "sport unto itself" says the spearhead of the bill, Senator Liz Mathis of Hiawatha.

She and 11 of her colleagues from both sides of the aisle sponsored this bill. Many kids who play sports are allowed certain exemptions from taking physical education each semester they are in school. Mathis and her colleagues think the same should go for these energetic show choir performers.

The Des Moines Register says if the law passes, high school principals could excuse students from P.E. if they are participating in show choir activities equivalent to the amount of time for the physical education requirement. The Register also says:

The bill also includes language exempting middle school and high school students who participate in show choir from the requirement of at least two hours of physical activity per week.

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