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Recess: The 4th R'?

Ohanian Comment: I've
been in touch with the very energetic parents
from the start, and it is definitely good news
that they've moved this recess cause along so
determinedly and so quickly. What a
disappointment that the Schools Boards
association chooses to waffle so and educators
are also offering resistance.

By Michelle Gladden

Reading, writing, but no recess?

That was the scenario for many students in the
Howell school district just over a year ago —
until a group of local parents joined other
groups and fought to have recess restored.

Their efforts have now spread statewide, and
led to a bill pending in the Legislature that
would establish a task force to examine whether
recess should be required in the state's
elementary schools.

Ultimately, it could make New Jersey the ninth
state in the country to develop an official
recess policy.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I think this
would be an issue," said Assemblyman Joseph R.
Malone III, R-Burlington. "It may seem like a
trivial issue on the surface, but these days
when we medicate so many children for acting
out at school, a little more free time might
alleviate some of the problems we have."

That American tradition of recess — downtime to
unwind and connect with friends without direct
teacher supervision — is becoming more
endangered as school administrators grapple
with mandates in the modern age.

In New Jersey, like most states, recess is not
a requirement.

While state officials say recess historically
has been a common practice, guidelines remain
in the hands of individual school boards.

"There are curriculum standards that need to be
met," said Frank Belluscio, New Jersey School
Boards Association spokesman. "Because we have
those standards, it is increasingly more of a
challenge for the districts to fit everything
in the day. It comes down to what the district
feels is necessary to meet its goals and the
state's goals."

A bill establishing a Task Force on Public
School Student Recess, sponsored by Malone, was
approved by an overwhelming majority earlier
this month. It now awaits Senate approval. The
all-volunteer task force, Malone said, will
measure the seriousness of the issue in New
Jersey schools, as well as whether there is
really a need for a state mandate.

"We are looking to this in a nonadversarial
way," said Malone, who was an educator for 36
years. "We have so many mandates now. Maybe if
we stop mandating out of Trenton, kids would
get a real good education."

The state Department of Education opposes the
bill because the $20,000 to $50,000 estimated
cost for a task force is not warranted,
officials say.

"We agree in the value of recess," the
department said in a position statement. "We
disagree with a mandatory study and with new
mandates in general."

But Malone said no taxpayer funds would be
used.

"It's not going to cost anything to do this
because it will be done internally by current
staff," Malone said. "It will be something done
by volunteers from wide range of backgrounds."

The state does mandate that students get two
hours each week of physical education, but
Howell parents say physical education is not
the same as unstructured play time.

"It's important to their social health," said
Jill Pansini, whose 10-year-old daughter Sloane
recently told her she was getting at most a 10-
minute break.

"We didn't have any rights," said 11-year-old
Ryan Walton. "They tell us what to do, and when
to do it. At least during recess, we get to do
what we want."

Others complained teachers were using recess as
a disciplinary tool, opting to do without it if
students were unruly.

Last year, Howell parents used research studies
showing that recess helps to raise a child's
activity level and concentration, and to
develop important social skills, such as
patience, communication, and sharing to make
their point before the local school board.

By October of last year, the Howell district
promised educators would put recess on the same
level of importance as their educational
curriculum. Principals were told to create a
structured schedule to allow for the
unstructured playtime.

No official mandate was created, but educators
were asked to implement a 20-minute block as
close to the school day's halfway point as
possible.

"For us, it wasn't a problem of having recess,"
said Newbury School Principal James Quinn. "We
recognized that recess is important, but all
our students were going out for recess at the
same time."

Quinn said current educational mandates made
finding the time in the day difficult,
especially if a special circumstance such as
speech or occupational therapy came into play.

It is specifically for that reason that
specialized groups such as the New Jersey
Junior Leagues — made up of women's community
volunteer organizations — support the bill.

"We haven't found anywhere a sensible reason
for not having recess," said League
representative Delly Beekman of Rumson. "Adults
get a break from the work day. I don't
understand why you wouldn't give children
recess."

Beekman said she would work with the Howell
parents' group to follow the task force's
progress, should the legislation pass.

Also helping the group of parents is recess
advocate Tiina Medel of the International Play
Association.

"There are so many pressures on principals and
teachers that something that might not seem as
academically important as recess is easily
eliminated if not mandated," Medel said. "It
deserves the same level of seriousness as any
other academic mandate."

— Michelle Gladden
Asbury Park Press
2008-12-01


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