Article 4. Exemptions From Requirements of California Education Code >> Division 4. >> Title 2. >> Part 28. >> Chapter 2. >> Article 4.

(a) If any part of a school's instruction in health conflicts with the religious training and beliefs of a parent or guardian of a pupil, the pupil, upon written request of the parent or guardian, shall be excused from the part of the instruction that conflicts with the religious training and beliefs.
  (b) For purposes of this section, "religious training and beliefs" includes personal moral convictions.

(a) The governing board of a school district or the office of the county superintendent of schools of a county may grant a temporary exemption to a pupil from courses in physical education, if the pupil is one of the following:
  (1) Ill or injured and a modified program to meet the needs of the pupil cannot be provided.
  (2) Enrolled for one-half, or less, of the work normally required of full-time pupils.
  (b) (1) The governing board of a school district or the office of the county superintendent of schools of a county, with the consent of a pupil, may grant a pupil an exemption from courses in physical education for two years anytime during grades 10 to 12, inclusive, if the pupil has met satisfactorily at least five of the six standards of the physical performance test administered in grade 9 pursuant to Section 60800.
  (2) Pursuant to Sections 51210, 51220, and 51222, physical education is required to be offered to all pupils, and, therefore, schools are required to provide adequate facilities and instructional resources for that instruction. In this regard, paragraph (1) shall be implemented in a manner that does not create a new program or impose a higher level of service on a local educational agency. Paragraph (1) does not mandate any overall increase in staffing or instructional time because, pursuant to subdivision (d), pupils are not permitted to attend fewer total hours of class if they do not enroll in physical education. Paragraph (1) does not mandate any new costs because any additional physical education instruction that a local educational agency provides may be accomplished during the existing instructional day, with existing facilities. Paragraph (1) does not prevent a local educational agency from implementing any other temporary or permanent exemption authorized by this section.
  (c) The governing board of a school district or the office of the county superintendent of a county may grant permanent exemption from courses in physical education if the pupil complies with any one of the following:
  (1) Is 16 years of age or older and has been enrolled in grade 10 for one academic year or longer.
  (2) Is enrolled as a postgraduate pupil.
  (3) Is enrolled in a juvenile home, ranch, camp, or forestry camp school where pupils are scheduled for recreation and exercise pursuant to the requirements of Article 24 (commencing with Section 880) of Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Division 2 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
  (d) A pupil exempted under paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) or paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) shall not attend fewer total hours of courses and classes if he or she elects not to enroll in a physical education course than he or she would have attended if he or she had elected to enroll in a physical education course.
  (e) Notwithstanding any other law, the governing board of a school district also may administer to pupils in grades 10 to 12, inclusive, the physical performance test required in grade 9 pursuant to Section 60800. A pupil who meets satisfactorily at least five of the six standards of this physical performance test in any of grades 10 to 12, inclusive, is eligible for an exemption pursuant to subdivision (b).

The governing board of a school district may exempt any four-year or senior high school pupil from attending courses of physical education, if the pupil is engaged in a regular school-sponsored interscholastic athletic program carried on wholly or partially after regular school hours.

Credit shall be given for purposes of the course of study requirements prescribed by school district governing boards or other authorities having jurisdiction for grades 9 through 12, inclusive, to courses in foreign languages in private schools on the basis of their being at least equivalent to those which would be required for the student in a foreign language class in the same grade level in the public schools. The State Board of Education shall adopt rules and regulations prescribing standards and conditions pursuant to which credit shall be given for those purposes to students in the public schools who have successfully completed foreign language studies in private schools.

The provisions of Section 51243 giving credit for foreign language courses given in private schools shall apply to courses in the following languages: Chinese, French, German, Greek (classical and modern), Hebrew (classical and modern), Italian, Japanese, Jewish, Latin, Spanish, and Russian, and such other languages as the State Board of Education shall designate.

For purposes of the credit which may be given pursuant to Sections 51243 and 51244 for foreign language courses undertaken in private schools, it shall not be required that instructors in the private schools be regularly credentialed teachers.

The governing board of a school district may exempt any pupil enrolled in his last semester or quarter, as the case may be, of the 12th grade who, pursuant to Section 46145 or 46147, is permitted to attend school less than 240 or 180 minutes per day, from attending courses of physical education; provided, however, that such pupil may not be exempted pursuant to this section from attending courses of physical education if such pupil would, after such exemption, attend school for 240 minutes or more per day.