Should Physical Education Be Taken Out of Our Schools?

Today there is what seems like a never-ending debate over childhood obesity. Many people say that childhood obesity is caused by the over-consumption of fast foods, sugar, and a lack of exercise. If childhood obesity is such an epidemic then why are some schools making the decision to eliminated physical education from their curriculum? I recently just finished my first outreach assignment as a certified Athletic Trainer at a high school in Chicago. After spending some time there and talking to the athletes and coaches, I learned that they do not have physical education in their curriculum because those in charge believe that it was not important and thus if it not in the everyday curriculum the students have more opportunities to take more classes. Like this school, many other schools are faced with the same debate; they are faced with the decision as to have students take more academic classes or to have that 45- 1 hour of physical activity. I think that schools should have P.E. in their curriculum because that 45-1 hour allows students to burn off some energy they may have and also gives students a chance to get up and move around to a different environment. P.E. not only teaches kids how to be active and healthy but also teaches them very important life skills such as teamwork and hard-work. Also, a student may find a new passion in a sport that they played or weightlifting in P.E. and thus creating more opportunities in their future outside of school. What do you think, should physical education be taken out of our schools?