AISD parents want mandatory 30 minute recess

During a packed Monday meeting, the Amarillo Independent School District Board of Trustees were presented with a petition signed by more than 2,000 parents and concerned citizens urging the district to implement a mandatory 30 minute daily recess policy for students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.

"We ask the district to view recess as an essential component of our children's academic development," said Elizabeth Smith, mother of a second-grader, as she laid out the goals of the petition during the public comments portion of the meeting.

"Research finds that recess offers enhanced cognitive processing, improved attention and productivity in the classroom as well as improved social and communication skills, diminished stress and improved physical well-being," Smith said.

According to district spokeswoman Susan Hoyl, about half of Amarillo ISD's 37 elementary schools provide 20 minutes of daily recess for students. Hoyl also said 14 elementary schools have a daily 15-minute recess and four schools have a 10-minute recess.

The issue is particularly timely, Smith said, because of House Bill 2610 - a state law passed in 2015 that calls for school days to be measured in minutes and not days.

The law requires students to receive 75,600 minutes of instruction each school year instead of 180 days. Time for recess and intermissions, including lunch, are included in the minutes requirement.

To reach the minimum number of minutes, Hoyl said, most district elementary schools will add 10 to 15 minutes to the school day next year. She said the district has been in discussions since last fall about how to comply with the state law and best utilize any additional minutes.

"Concerned AISD parents would like to see those extra minutes be used for mandatory recess," the petition read. "Currently, there is no AISD policy on recess."

Despite the lack of a district requirement for recess to be a certain length, Hoyl said, all Amarillo ISD schools comply with a state law requiring elementary-age students to engage in physical activity through physical education classes or recess for at least 30 minutes per day, or 135 minutes weekly.

No action was taken at the meeting because the petition was not listed as an agenda item.