Should Recess Be Mandated in Louisiana Schools?
Some lawmakers want to make a major change to schools in Louisiana. The House Education Committee passed a proposal that would public schools to have 30 minutes of recess each day for students.
Right now, schools must have 30 minutes of physical activity, which is covered in most districts by PE class.
Sponsor Beryl Amedee of Houma tells the Louisiana Radio Network recess is crucial to a child’s educational development.
“Brain scans have shown that kids learn better after a break from physical activity and unstructured play,” Amedee said.
The Louisiana Association of Principles opposes the idea. They claim this will cut into classroom time. Executive Director Debra Schum says schools would struggle to make this happen with the current class time rules.
“Either we have to have the Department of Education say, ’we can count this as instructional time,’ or we have to add to the day, and adding to the day would be a cost,” Schum said.
Schum says schools have other ways to get students active besides relying on recess.
“Many people do try to do things that create movement in the classroom. They use ‘brain breaks,’ they use movement, but to meet instructional requirement times, they have to do it in the classroom,” Schum said.
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