School Recess Would Be Mandatory In NJ Under New Bill

PARSIPPANY, NJ — Think back to your elementary school days: you probably spent recess periods outside, jumping rope and climbing on monkey bars. You might consider recess a vital part of your youth, but the unstructured playtime has never been required in New Jersey schools.

Now, two state senators want to change that. Sen. Shirley Turner (D-Hunterdon and Mercer) and Sen. Patrick Diegnan (D-Middlesex) introduced a bill making recess mandatory for younger students, and it's gaining support.

The idea isn't new, and Gov. Christie once vetoed a similar bill, calling it "stupid." Bill S847 would require all school districts to provide at least 20 minutes of daily recess for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, preferably outside.

Students could only be denied recess if they violated the school's bullying rules, and the bill recommends that punishment be limited to twice a week.

Exceptions are made for students with medical issues, and for shortened days.

The bill passed unanimously in the state Senate earlier this month, with five senators abstaining. The Assembly would have to pass it before it could land on Gov. Phil Murphy's desk. If signed into law, the new recess rules would go into effected during the 2019-2020 school year.

Murphy has not indicated if he supports mandatory recess or not, and his office declined to comment for this article.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has steadily supported daily recess for young children, making it an official policy position.

"Recess serves as a necessary break from the rigors of concentrated, academic challenges in the classroom. But equally important is the fact that safe and well-supervised recess offers cognitive, social, emotional, and physical benefits that may not be fully appreciated when a decision is made to diminish it," the group said in a 2013 policy statement. They believe recess should not be withheld as a form of punishment, something Turner and Diegnan's bill allows for.

The cognitive benefits of recess was a main focus of the bill, the senators said in a statement.

“Playing helps children adjust to school and improves their readiness to learn,” Turner said. “Students are under constant pressure between exams, homework, and the amount of time they should be in the classroom. Providing a daily recess period of at least 20 minutes will also help them to socialize with other children, learn how to communicate and develop their creativity.”

Diegnan echoed that sentiment, saying, "Recess is a key element for children to interact with other children. Our children need to socialize and in today's world it is seemingly harder and harder for our children to find time just to play and to be kids. This legislation will address this common sense goal."

The Society of Health and Physical Educators America also supports recess in addition to physical education classes. The New Jersey bill forbids recess from filling the physical education curriculum requirement.

“Daily recess, monitored by well-trained staff or volunteers, can optimize a child’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development,” SHAPE America CEO E. Paul Roetert said in a news release. “Recess contributes to the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity for students and helps them apply the knowledge and skills they learn in an effective health and physical education program."

This is the sixth time Turner has introduced mandatory recess legislation in New Jersey. The last time it was introduced in 2016, it was unanimously passed in the Senate and gained overwhelming support in the Assembly before being vetoed by Christie.

"I think their teachers should be able to decide and their administrators should be able to decide whether or not they have recess on any particular day," Christie said at the time. "With all the other problems we have to deal with, my Legislature is worried about recess for kids from kindergarten to fifth grade.

"You know, part of my job as governor is to veto the stupid bills, he said. "That was a stupid bill, and I vetoed it."

What do you think? Do you support mandatory playtime for young students, or do you think that's best left to the districts? Share your feedback below, or email Katie.Kausch@Patch.com

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