"Our society has become increasingly complex, but there remains a need for every child to feel the sun and wind on his cheek and engage in self-paced play. Children's attempts to make their way across monkey bars, negotiate the hopscotch course, play jacks, or toss a football require intricate behaviors of planning, balance, and strength-traits we want to encourage in children. Ignoring the developmental functions of unstructured outdoor play denies children the opportunity to expand their imaginations beyond the constraints of the classroom." --From the National Association for the Education of Young Children statement on the value of recess

As the above statement expresses, recess is a time when children can take a break from their academic pursuits, connect with friends, explore nature, engage in creative and imaginative play, and not have to use their indoor voices. But more and more, school systems across America are reducing or eliminating the time children spend in recess. CHAWK feels this trend is harmful and seeks just the reverse-an expansion of the time children spend in recess.

In 2006, CHAWK was instrumental in lobbying the Arlington School Board to expand recess. The issue of recess arose as part of the Board's consideration of the Wellness Policy, which APS was under federal mandate to adopt. In discussions about the policy in advance of its adoption, the most contentious issue raised by parents, school staff, and others was recess.

The Wellness Policy called for a minimum of 20 minutes of recess. Over the period of several months, CHAWK members and others sent emails and made calls to School Board members in support of a minimum of 30 minutes of recess. Board members met several times over the spring of 2006 and heard public comments by many parents, including a number of CHAWK members and Ashlawn parents.

Lengthening recess sounds like common sense to many parents. When children have more time for unsupervised play, research has found, behavior problems can decline and even test scores can improve. But expanding recess is not simple. The problem is one of scheduling. According to a number of elementary school principals, due to the large number of mandates required by the state and the School Board regarding how elementary schools organize the day, many principals have found it difficult to find additional time for recess.

In June, the School Board passed the Wellness Policy, with the following requirements for recess in elementary schools:

• Schools WITH early release must provide 100 to 125 minutes per week for students in grades one through five. (This averages out to 25 to 31 minutes per day if no recess is given on early release days; or 20 to 25 minutes per day if recess is given every day.)

• Schools WITHOUT early release must provide 120 to 150 minutes per week for students in grades one through five starting in the 2007-2008 school year. (This averages out to 24 to 30 minutes per day.)

• Schools must provide kindergarteners 135 to 150 minutes per week. (This averages out to 27 to 30 minutes per day, if recess is given every day.)

The two proposals for grades one through five passed by a 3-1 vote. Ed Fendley, Mary Hynes, and David Foster supported the measures; Frank Wilson voted against them. Libby Garvey was unable to attend the meeting.

The proposal for kindergarteners passed unanimously.

It is up to principals at each elementary school to determine how the recess portion of the Wellness Policy translates into each school's schedule. Arlington previously had no systemwide policy on the amount of recess schools must provide students, so there was wide variation between schools, with some students (including kindergarteners) getting as little as 60 minutes per week (15 minutes per day, four days per week).

In addition, under the new policy, ". . . withholding recess will be a rare occurrence, and only used as a last resort." The policy implementation procedures state that, "Other disciplinary consequences will be explored before withholding recess for inappropriate classroom behavior. A list of alternative consequences will be made available to classroom teachers."

For more information on the importance of recess in children's lives, click on the following links:

http://www.ipausa.org/

http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-2/recess.html

http://www.geocities.com/recessplease/educators.html

http://www.peacefulplaygrounds.com/press8.htm

For information on recess before lunch, please see FOOD.