6701P Procedure - Recess and Physical Activity

Recess

By no later than the 2024–2025 school year, the district will provide at least thirty minutes of recess for all elementary-school students each school day that exceeds five hours. Schools may provide additional recess time before or after the school day, but that time may not be counted toward the thirty minutes of recess that is required. Additionally, time spent changing into and out of clothes for outdoor play should not be used to meet the thirty-minute requirement.

Recess must be supervised and student directed. It must aim to be safe, inclusive, and high quality. To achieve those aims, schools will offer opportunities that align with state and national recess recommendations and maintain safe and age-appropriate equipment to use during recess. Students with disabilities shall have access to recess with near-grade peers. Schools may also include organized games as part of recess, but they should avoid including or permitting students to use computers, tablets, or phones during recess. Whenever possible, recess should be held outside. But if recess is held indoors, schools should use an appropriate space that promotes physical activity.

Recess will complement, not substitute for, physical education class.

Schools are discouraged from withholding recess as a form of discipline unless a student’s participation in recess poses an immediate threat to the safety of the student or others. Schools are also discouraged from withholding recess to compel students to complete academic work. Schools should develop alternatives to withholding recess as a form of discipline or as a way to compel students to complete academic work.

The district encourages recess to be scheduled before lunch whenever possible. Scheduling recess before lunch reduces food waste, maximizes nutrition, and allows students to be active before eating. If recess is offered before lunch, schools will place appropriate hand-washing facilities and/or hand-sanitizing mechanisms just inside or outside the cafeteria to ensure proper hygiene prior to eating. Students must use these mechanisms before eating. Hand-washing time, as well as time to put away coats/hats/gloves, will be built into the recess transition period/timeframe before students enter the cafeteria.

Physical Activity in Schools

Given that middle and high school students do not have recess, the district will encourage physical activity breaks for middle and high school students.

Physical Activity during the School Day

The district recognizes that students are more attentive and ready to learn if provided with periodic breaks when they can be physically active or stretch. Schools will encourage teachers to do the following:

• Incorporate movement and kinesthetic learning approaches into “core” subject instruction when possible (e.g., science, math, language arts, social studies and others) and do their part to limit sedentary behavior during the school day.
• Provide short (3-5-minute) physical activity breaks to students during and between classroom time. These physical activity breaks will complement, not substitute, for physical education class, recess, and class transition periods.

Schools cannot use physical activity during the school day as punishment. For example, a school can’t have a student run laps or do push-ups as a form of punishment.

Physical Activity Before and After School

The district offers opportunities for students to participate in physical activity either before and/or after the school day (or both) through a variety of methods (e.g., physical activity clubs, intramurals, sports, etc.).

Active Transport

The district will identify safe and active routes to and from school to promote alternative transport methods for children, such as walking and bicycle programs. The district will encourage this behavior by engaging and promoting activities such as the following:

• Designation of safe or preferred routes to school;
• Promotional activities such as participation in International Walk to School Week, National Walk and Bike to School Week;
• Secure storage facilities for bicycles and helmets (e.g., shed, cage, fenced area);
• Instruction on walking/bicycling safety provided to students;
• Promotion of safe routes program to students, staff, and parents via newsletters, websites, local newspaper;
• Use of crossing guards;
• Ensuring crosswalks exist on streets leading to schools;
• Documentation of the number of children walking and/or biking to and from school; and
• Creation and distribution of maps of the school environment (e.g., sidewalks, crosswalks, roads, pathways, bike racks, etc.).

School District Facilities

Access to school sites will be provided through permitting use of facilities to community youth sports groups consistent with the district’s facilities use policy, community college, and municipal joint use agreements and partnerships with youth organizations so additional opportunities are available for all youth in the community to participate in quality physical activity, fitness, sports, and recreation programs.