House Education Administration Subcommittee advances bill to mandate more recess time in elementary schools

Child on a playground (Photo by Nicola Barts/Pexels)

Getting Tennessee’s youngest learners moving to improve both their health and academic outcomes is the aim of a bill advanced by the House Education Administration Subcommittee Tuesday.

Representative Scott Cepicky (Photo by the Tennessee General Assembly)

The bill, sponsored by Representative Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka, would require local school districts to integrate 40 minutes of recess time per day for elementary school students. Currently, schools are only mandated to provide 15 minutes of recess per day. Districts would have the option to hold all 40 minutes at once or break it up into smaller time segments throughout the day.

That recess time must be unstructured physical activity, and outside if weather permits. That means students could play on a playground, walk, play ball, or other games and sports. Representative Cepicky told subcommittee members that a coordinated school health study from last year found that 40 percent of Tennessee students are considered obese. He said in addition to improving physical health, the evidence clearly shows recess play can lower anxiety, increase attention span, and improve academic outcomes.

“The studies out there show unequivocally that more recess time leads to better socialization of our students, less distractions in the classroom, less disciplinary actions, better teacher satisfaction, and lastly what we’re all looking for, is better academic success of our students,” said Representative Cepicky.

Representatives of the organization Say YES to Recess Tennessee spoke to the subcommittee in favor of the bill. They cited numerous studies touting the benefits of letting kids play.

“One project implemented 60 minutes of recess daily. In just one year, math scores rose by 10 percent and reading scores rose by 7 (percent),” said advocate Rachel Bush.

“This group has worked tirelessly and has garnered support from thousands of parents, teachers, pediatricians, psychologists, and counselors from across the state,” said Say YES to Recess volunteer Carol Duffin. “They have looked at this issue from every single angle, done the research, looked at the science, looked at the studies and see only pros see. We see no cons.”

The bill notes those 40 minutes of recess time would be separate from physical education (PE) classes. Currently, Tennessee students are required to have 60 minutes of PE per week. Representative Cepicky explained the reasoning is that PE typically has a curriculum and is usually only held a couple of days per week. He also pointed out it doesn’t always involve physical activity.

“When we say PE, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re outside running around being kids playing soccer or kickball. They could be in a classroom still, getting instruction on life skills,” explained Representative Cepicky.

Representative Ronnie Glynn, D-Clarksville, asked why the bill did not extend to middle school students, and why 40 minutes was chosen as the amount of time allotted for daily recess. Representative Cepicky explained parents and advocates he spoke with were most concerned about elementary students, saying the focus is on helping young learners become better, more well-rounded students. He also said 40 minutes would be easier for school staff to implement than the original 60 minutes he included in the bill.

“I’ve spoken to some teachers, some LEAs (local education agencies) and they thought that got to be very, very difficult to schedule out that 60 minutes,” he explained. “So, the compromise was 40 minutes. We felt that doing 40 minutes and allowing them the flexibility to break it up into 20 and 20, would provide enough flexibility to get the results we wanted socially, emotionally, and academically in our classrooms.”

Some education advocates have expressed concern about the legislation’s potential negative impact on instructional time and whether it might be stepping into decisions better made by local school districts, still subcommittee members expressed bi-partisan support for the measure, and its potential benefits for young children.

“There are Ivy League schools doing research and they are finding that physical activity right before they go to a hard-core class gets rid of the brain fog and helps them excel.” said Representative Jay Reedy, R-Erin.

“I am all for this,” said Representative Glynn. “I think recess is an important piece of making sure kids are ready to learn and be productive.”

The bill passed unanimously and now heads to the full House Education Committee.