Imagine your children attending a public school where there’s no time allocated for recess. What would you do? If you were part of a group of dedicated moms in Florida known as the Recess Advocates, you might start a petition that leads to a proposed bill. You would invest countless hours and your own funds traveling to meet with legislators in hopes of making a change.
After passing through three House committees without a hitch, the bill met an unexpected roadblock. Last week, Senator Mike Reynolds refused to allow Florida House Bill 833 to be discussed, stating plainly to the press, “I’m not going to put it on the agenda. It doesn’t warrant a Tallahassee solution.”
Currently, many schoolchildren in Florida are without any recess—no 20 minutes, no 10 minutes, not even 5 minutes. The state does not require recess, leaving it up to individual counties to decide. It might seem like an obvious choice to prioritize recess for children, yet not every county ensures that time for play is included in the school day. While some states successfully manage recess without mandates, Florida’s focus on high-stakes testing has created a challenging environment for schools to provide adequate free play time.
In the fall of 2014, Sarah Thompson, a mother of a second grader and a kindergartner, discovered her kids were receiving only 10 minutes of recess, two times a week. When she inquired about this limitation, the school claimed it was a district requirement. District officials pointed to state mandates, and the state redirected her back to the district. Ultimately, Sarah found out that Florida only requires four hours of instruction for grades K through 3 and five hours for grades 4 and 5. With her children attending six-hour school days, she questioned why there was no time left for recess. The response she received indicated that schools were prioritizing instructional time to meet testing demands.
Determined to create change, Sarah and fellow advocate Lisa Reed launched a petition inspired by other Florida counties, leading to the introduction of Florida House Bill 833, which aimed to mandate recess in public schools. While Sarah’s children now enjoy 20 minutes of recess each day, she continues to fight for those families who lack the resources or time to advocate for their children’s needs.
Increasingly, Florida schools argue that testing standards are squeezing out precious playtime. In January 2014, a statement from Orange County Superintendent Amelia Rogers indicated that a mandated 20-minute recess was not feasible when teachers felt they were already pressed for instructional time.
HB 833 would require each district school board to allocate a minimum of 100 minutes of unstructured free-play recess weekly for students in kindergarten through grade 5, ensuring at least 20 consecutive minutes of playtime each day. The bill also stipulates that recess cannot be withheld for academic or punitive reasons: “In addition to the requirements in subsection (3), each district school board shall provide 100 minutes of supervised, safe, and unstructured free-play recess each week for students in kindergarten through grade 5 and for students in grade 6 who are enrolled in a school that contains one or more elementary grades so that there are at least 20 consecutive minutes of free-play recess per day. Free-play recess may not be withheld for academic or punitive reasons.”
Senator Reynolds simply needs to allow the bill to be discussed, but he has chosen not to. He could vote against it if he disagrees, but he won’t even permit it to reach that stage. This lack of engagement from him is not surprising to the moms, who claim he has not responded to any of their emails or calls over the last few weeks and has avoided meeting with them during their multiple trips to Tallahassee—long drives of over four hours each way. These moms have been using their own funds and time to advocate for change in the state, yet according to them, Senator Reynolds has been unresponsive. They learned through the media that their bill would not be considered; he couldn’t even take a moment to inform them that their efforts would need to be postponed.
It seems he has forgotten that he is accountable to them, as the citizens of Florida are the ones who pay his salary. “If there’s a strong demand for recess,” he said, “he’s unlikely to be back in 2017, and lawmakers can revisit the issue then,” the Tampa Bay Times reported.
Very few states require recess. If you find yourself in a similar situation as Sarah, remember: vocal parents can instigate change, even when faced with indifference from lawmakers like Senator Reynolds. Remember, senators are elected officials—they work for you, and come election time, they can be held accountable.
“This isn’t just about time or funding; it’s about priorities,” Sarah asserts. “Recess is essential for children’s development. Every child deserves the opportunity to play.”
Let the kids enjoy their playtime!
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Summary
In Florida, a group of dedicated moms called the Recess Advocates is fighting for legislation to mandate recess in public schools. After their bill, Florida House Bill 833, passed through three House committees, it was blocked by Senator Mike Reynolds, who refused to consider it. Despite the overwhelming support from parents and educators, he cited a lack of need for a legislative solution. The moms continue to advocate for all children, emphasizing the importance of playtime for development and encouraging other parents to raise their voices for change in their communities.