Final answer:
The removal of PE and recess in schools is attributed to various factors such as lack of funding, increased focus on academics, safety concerns, and changes in educational priorities, with an overarching trend of reducing physical activity to increase time for academic pursuits.
Step-by-step explanation:
The causes of schools removing PE and recess involve a complex mix of factors, such as lack of funding, increased academic focus, concerns about safety, and changing educational priorities. The drive for better standardized test scores has led some schools to cut back on non-academic activities, and sometimes recess is removed as a form of punishment or because of a wrongly perceived lack of necessity for physical activity in the educational process. Additionally, it's apparent that some education experts have suggested that altering incentives for schools could lead to improvements in student performance rather than just increasing financial resources. This is because past increases in funding have not shown proportionate gains in academic achievements, suggesting the need for structural reforms in educational incentives.Physical activity and healthy eating are crucial components of a child's education, and reducing opportunities for exercise contradicts that concept. Current research and voices from health and education fields highlight the importance of unstructured play and the negative impact of over scheduling on children's development. It's clear that steps towards improving school structure and incentives need to be balanced with the well-being of the students, which includes maintaining or increasing time allocated for physical education and recess.