Montclair Parents Start Pro-Recess Petition: 40 Minutes Wanted

Montclair, NJ – A group of Montclair parents is trying to give local students a break… 40 minutes, to be exact.

An online petition calling for 40 minutes of required recess per day for K-5 students in Montclair’s public schools has gathered hundreds of signatures.

The petition – aimed at Superintendent Ronald Bolandi and the Montclair Board of Education – claims that recess is “healthy and essential for helping children reach important social, emotional, and cognitive developmental milestones as well as helping them manage stress and become resilient.”

“At present, Montclair public school children get roughly 22 minutes for lunch and 23 minutes for recess, and spend much of the winter having indoor recess in their classrooms,” the petition states.

The petition, which can be seen here, calls for the following measures to be taken district-wide:

1. Recess will be protected for every child and may never be removed from a child for punitive reasons.
2. Recess will be entirely unstructured time.
3. Recess will be given no less than 40 minutes per day in addition to the current time allotted for eating, for grades K-5. (This is a first step. Parents and the district may wish to discuss increases in recess time for higher grades in the future.)
4. Recess will be outdoors, unless conditions pose a danger to children, or a child has an IEP or medical condition precluding outdoor play. It is not reasonable to call indoor recess simply because there is light rain, snow on the ground, or that temperatures have dropped below 35 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Indoor Recess can be called when temperatures fall below 20 degrees F (as in Massachusetts and other states with harsh winters). Montclair Parents for Recess note that children in colder climates, such as Canada and Alaska, play outdoors at school during the winter, and that inclement weather clothing can be supplemented for children needing it. Additionally, sensible adjustments can be made such that children wearing snow pants, gloves, and boots, may play in the snow, while children not wearing snow gear can play on plowed surfaces. Natural light and fresh air is a priority.
6. Indoor recess will be unstructured time, away from desks and preferably outside of the classroom if possible, encouraging freedom for movement and socialization.

DEBATING MANDATORY RECESS

New Jersey lawmakers put the possibility of mandatory recess in play in November when they introduced a bill that would require school districts to provide students from kindergarten to grade 5 with a 20-minute recess every day.

• See related article: Mandatory School Recess: N.J. Lawmakers Debate Bill

The bill passed and headed to Governor Chris Christie’s desk in January.

• See related article: NJ Mandatory Recess Bill Passes, Heads To Christie's Desk

However, Christie vetoed the bill – along with several others – later that month.

• See related article: Gov. Christie Signs 93 Bills Into Law; Vetoes School Recess Bill, Others

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