Please sign this petition to indicate your support for increasing recess time for elementary students in Hopkinton Public Schools.

Currently elementary students receive 15 minutes of recess time in a 6.25+ hour school day in Hopkinton Public Schools. Massachusetts State Law requires 900 hours of structured learning time per school year at the elementary school level. After calculating for half-days, lunch, etc., these requirements would comfortably allow for 35 total minutes of recess time per school day. With only 425 hours of structured learning time required at the Kindergarten level, the law allows for even more recess for our youngest students.

This issue of diminished recess time has been cited recently in national news, and the trend of returning to longer recess times has been addressed by many school districts across the country.  Several Massachusetts school districts have been in the news (most recently Medway and Milford), for their efforts to lengthen recess time.  Schools that have opted to increase recess time have reported that its effect on academic performance has been positive.

The Importance of Recess

Multiple recent studies demonstrate that recess is an essential part of a child’s school day.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has published a report expressing that recess is a crucial and necessary component of a child's development, offering enhanced cognitive processing, improved attention and productivity in the classroom, improved social and communication skills, diminished stress, as well as improved physical well-being.

The AAP defines recess as unstructured physical activity and play and views recess as having unique benefits that are separate and distinct from P.E.  Hopkinton schools offer P.E., “Go Noodle” and other movement-based activities within the classroom.  While these efforts are notable, they are not substitutes for recess.

The AAP finds that “to maximize cognitive benefits, recess should be scheduled at regular intervals, providing children sufficient time to regain their focus before instruction continues.”

In addition, “minimizing or eliminating recess may be counterproductive to academic achievement, as a growing body of evidence suggests that recess promotes not only physical health and social development but also cognitive performance.”  Therefore, we also request that recess time not be eliminated or reduced as punishment.  The American Academy of Pediatrics agrees, and issued a strong policy statement in 2013, saying:  “Recess… should not be withheld for punitive or academic reasons.”

We ask educators and education administrators to view recess as a valuable and essential component of our children’s academic development. We recognize the pressure that all schools face to improve test scores, and that creating school schedules is a complex undertaking with many different components to be considered and evaluated.  We also recognize that additional playground staff and training may be required.  However, research supports our view that a 15 minute recess time is counterproductive to the overall cause of a stand-out educational system in Hopkinton and we believe that any obstacles to a longer recess can be overcome.

Request For More Recess Time

We, the current and future parents of children in Hopkinton Public Schools hereby support increased recess time for elementary school students during regular school hours.  We petition the Hopkinton School Committee and Cathy MacLeod, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools, to consider a minimum of 35 minutes of recess per day and significantly more recess at the Kindergarten level.  We also petition that recess not be withheld for punitive or academic reasons.

References

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The Crucial Role of Recess in Schools. Pediatrics Vol. 131 No. 1 January 1, 2013 pp. 183 -188 Available at: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/131/1/183.full

Today Show: Want kids to listen more, fidget less? Try more recess.. this school did. Available at: http://www.today.com/parents/want-kids-listen-more-fidget-less-try-more-recess-school-t65536

Additional Resources for Further Reading 

Liink Project. Available at: http://liinkproject.tcu.edu/

The Cognitive Benefits of Play- Effects on the Learning Brain. Gwen Dewar, PhD, 2008-2014 http://www.parentingscience.com/benefits-of-play.html

How Schools Ruined Recess and Four Things Needed To Fix  It.  Valerie Strauss 2015 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/02/04/how-schools-ruined-recess-and-four-things-needed-to-fix-it/

Scientists Say Child’s Play Builds a Better Brain.  Jon Hamilton, NPR 1-2016 http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2014/08/06/336361277/scientists-say-childs-play-helps-build-a-better-brain

The Play Deficit.  Peter Gray PhD, 2016 https://aeon.co/essays/children-today-are-suffering-a-severe-deficit-of-play

Why So Many Kids Can’t Sit Still in School Today.  Valerie Strauss,  7-2014 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2014/07/08/why-so-many-kids-cant-sit-still-in-school-today/

Bill Mandating Recess in New Jersey Reintroduced.  Carly Baldwin, 4-2016 http://patch.com/new-jersey/middletown-nj/bill-mandating-recess-new-jersey-reintroduced

The State of Play- Gallup Survey of Principals on School Recess. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 2-2010 http://www.playworks.org/sites/default/files/d6/StateOfPlayFeb2010.pdf

Kids Whose Time is Less Structured Are Better Able to Meet Their Own Goals. CU Boulder, Yuko Munakata PhD, 2014 http://www.colorado.edu/news/features/kids-whose-time-less-structured-are-better-able-meet-their-own-goals

Local Schools See the Value in Recess.  Boston Globe 1-2013 https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/west/2013/01/24/local-schools-see-value-recess/qF5tC4WSC6lKHGZhZwi4SJ/story.html