Frankfort, KY: The U.S. Department of Education, through the No Child Left Behind program, has awarded nine Kentucky school systems and local boards of education with over $3.5 million in grants to improve health and fight childhood obesity.

"This is a tremendous compliment to these Kentucky school systems because these grants acknowledge outstanding initiatives aimed at helping children across the United States to eat healthy and exercise," said Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher. "The emphasis, on a national level, illustrates that our focus on building a Healthy Kentucky is on the right track here in the Commonwealth."

"President Bush has directed that our schools work to make our children healthier through a new initiative, the 'Schools for a HealthierUS Challenge,'" U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige said.  "We can educate our children and keep them healthy.  And it only takes the right incentives, some commonsense and a resolute will to make this happen."

The Carol M. White Physical Education Program, part of the No Child Left Behind Act, provides grants to local school districts and community-based organizations to initiate, expand or improve physical education programs, including after-school programs, for students in grades K-12.  This year, the program will award a total of 237 new grants nationwide worth nearly $69 million.

More information about the No Child Left Behind Act is available at www.ed.gov.

The nine school systems and the amounts of the individual grants are listed below:

·        Fayette County Public Schools, $607,424
·        Kentucky Baptist Homes for Children in Louisville, $568,525
·        Middlesboro Independent Schools, $468,224
·        Mason County Schools, $338,787
·        Robertson County Board of Education, $303,777
·        Union County Board of Education, $350,100
·        Warren County Public Schools, $408,447
·        Covington Independent Schools, $313,173
·        Raceland Worthington Independent Schools, $235,836

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