CALIFORNIA, USA — Thirty-minute recess will soon be required for California students up to eighth grade, under a new state law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Senate Bill 291, authored by State Senator Josh Newman (D-Fullerton), also prevents schools from withholding recess as a means of discipline. The bill’s text says current state law allows teachers to punish students by limiting playtime, with students from disadvantaged communities often feeling a disproportionate impact.
“When children don't get the chance to play because they're struggling with the expectations of school, the lack of recess does not help them get more focused on their academic learning or their behavior in the classroom,” said Playworks CEO Elizabeth Cushing. “It just is not an effective punishment for what we're trying to support those kids with, and we want to make sure every kid gets the chance to play, so this component of the bill, it's really powerful.”
Playworks is a national nonprofit that advocates for recess in schools and provides input on the new California law.
Denying recess will only be prohibited “unless there is an immediate threat to the physical safety of the pupil or the physical safety of one or more of the pupil’s peers,” the bill states.
Supporters of the law, which will take effect in the 2024-2025 school year, said recess offers many benefits to a child’s social and emotional development, at a time when many students are still feeling the impacts of isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As schools and students seek to recover from COVID-related educational disruptions, the benefits of the unstructured play and peer-to-peer social interactions offered by recess are more important now than ever,” Newman said.
Research also shows outdoor playtime can lead to better classroom performance with improved focus, memory and behavior.
“We know that when kids play on a playground, they go back to class focused and ready to learn,” Cushing said. “We've heard it time and time again from teachers, that when the kids have a safe and healthy and inclusive recess, they are able to learn and that translates into a productive whole child. There's so many benefits from recess during the school day. It gives kids a chance to have a break from the brain work that they're doing in class. It's also the place where they build relationships with their classmates, where they learn social skills like taking turns, like getting out and getting back into a game, even forming games to play with each other. It's so important to their healthy development physically, socially, and emotionally, that they get that chance to play.”
The bill instructs schools to provide a recess break of at least 15 minutes on early dismissal days.
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