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York County considers increasing recess time for students

Posted at 2:08 PM, May 29, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-29 14:08:48-04

YORK COUNTY, Va. - A new law means schools across Virginia can add more recess time for students, reports WTKR.

The law, which goes into effect in July, states schools can now allocate up to 15 percent of yearly instructional time to recess. The decision follows research showing increased unstructured play time can help students learn better.

York County School Board member Michael Anderson is leading the push for more recess time in his community. He hopes to add 10 additional minutes with a recess period in both the morning and afternoon.

“[The superintendent] is forming a committee that consists of teachers, administrators and parents to look at the current school year and discuss the feasibility of increasing the recess times and how they’ll manipulate the schedule," said Anderson.

Anderson said he also plans to host two information sessions for parents this week. One on Tuesday at 7 p.m. inside Tabb Library and another Thursday at 7 p.m. inside the Yorktown Library.

Anderson already has support from some parents like Melissa James, who has two kids in York County elementary schools.

“I would like to see my children have a more well-rounded experience at school and not just have everything be so focused on sitting in a seat and looking at books," she said. "[The teachers] have a lot of interactive, engaging activities, but it’s still structured time and anything you read as a parent is going to tell you how important play is.”

James Richardson, Chair of the York County School Board, told News 3 over the phone that althought a couple parents have spoken about the topic of increased recess at meetings, the board itself has not discussed it yet. Although, he did confirm the superintendent is planning to form a committee.

WTKR reached out to several other area districts asking if they've considered additional time for recess. A spokesperson for Portsmouth schools said no. A spokesperson for Norfolk Public Schools said a newly adopted wellness policy recommended 20 minutes of recess everyday for each school.

Click over to WTKR to read all the responses.

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