Dear Judy, Our neighborhood school (P.S. 100K) does not have outdoor recess time. The children never have a chance to play outside. Every day they must sit in the cafeteria for 50 minutes in silence. Absolutely no talking allowed. To me, it seems abusive. There is a huge yard adjacent to the school, but the administration refuses to let the children go outside. I wonder if there are any regulations in regards to recess time, or it is up to the schools.

Thank you. Ms. K

Dear Ms. K,

You might be surprised to know that the Department of Education does have a policy that calls for recess every day, preferably out of doors. I am surprised, not only that that your school does not allow kids to go outdoors after lunch, but also that sitting silently in a cafeteria passes for recess. Most schools provide indoor games and activities when kids don’t go out, either because of weather or the kids’ own choice. While there are many parent complaints about kids being made to watch videos of questionable quality at recess, that’s another story. At least they are not sitting silently.

The recess requirement comes under a Wellness Policy which was developed the The Office of School Health (OSH), a joint program of the New York City Department of Education and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Another recommendation made by OSH is G uidelines for Outdoor Play in Cold Weather: ” Children benefit from vigorous exercise and should be given the opportunity to play outside whenever possible.  Unless it is snowing or there is ice on the playground, low temperatures should not be a barrier to outside play, as long as children are appropriately dressed.  The Health Department strongly encourages principals to maintain outdoor play periods on the vast majority of winter days.”

 Some schools complain that there are not enough school aides to supervise outdoor play, The upcoming cuts in school aide jobs will certainly undercut recess even in schools that do send their kids out to play. In past budget crunches, many schools formed parent committees to take turns on the playground and also help out in the lunch room. They have continued successfully even in better budget times. Have you tried this tack with the principal? What about the School Leadership Team (SLT) developing a proposal along those lines?

.extra ammunition  of the just released it by the Comptroller’s Office on non compliance with the DOE physical education policy on physical education which, along with other requirements says that kindergarten through 3rd graders should have physical education every day. Apparently, a large number of schools do not meet this standard.  I wonder if your school does and that the principal rationalizes that outdoor recess is risky, labor intensive, and not necessary. However, health and well being of kids does require an active break called recess – and an outdoor break from stuffy classroom air.  

Judy