Back to school bonus: Mandatory recess is now law in New Jersey

Dustin Racioppi | Trenton Bureau

Show Caption Hide Caption NJ Governor Murphy signs school funding bill NJ Governor Murphy signs school funding bill at Cliffside Park school

Students across New Jersey who think they have too much schoolwork may look forward to at least this when they return to class next month: Recess will be a requirement.

Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday signed into law a measure making it mandatory that public schools give students through fifth grade a 20-minute recess each day. That recess should be "outdoors, if feasible," according to the bill, S-847.

It is a bipartisan achievement. Lawmakers have attempted for several years to make mandatory recess law, but Republican former Gov. Chris Christie vetoed it in 2016 because he thought it was a "stupid bill."

“This is crazy government run amok. What are we doing? With all the other problems we have to deal with, my Legislature is worried about recess for kids from kindergarten to fifth grade,” Christie said in an interview at the time with Fox News.

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Murphy did not make any statement on the bill in announcing he'd sign it, but his signature alone indicates he doesn't think it was so stupid. And many lawmakers approve. It passed the Legislature with just one dissenting vote: that of Democratic Sen. Nick Sacco, who retired last year as North Bergen's school administrator.

At least a dozen other states require recess or some sort of physical activity at school, according to the Council of State Governments. A 2013 study by the American Academy of Pediatrics highlighted the importance of recess for young students, saying it is "a crucial and necessary component of a child’s development and, as such, it should not be withheld for punitive or academic reasons."

The bill Murphy signed does allow for districts to keep a child off the playground, though. Students who violate a school district's code of conduct may be denied recess, but no student can be denied more than twice a week.

If a student is denied recess, the school must provide "restorative justice activities" — defined as those "designed to improve the socioemotional and behavioral responses of students through the use of more appropriate, and less punitive, interventions" — during that period.

Recess is also not allowed to take the place of physical education courses.

Murphy signed the bill and 18 others Friday before taking his own recess. He planned to depart on a weekend trip to the New York Hamptons to attend a "super-exclusive" charity event to raise money for the Apollo Theater, according to Politico New Jersey. Murphy just returned Wednesday from an 11-day vacation in Italy.

The other bills Murphy signed include ones requiring schools to instruct students on the consequences of sending sexually explicit photos electronically, or "sexting," requiring report cards on maternity care and allowing registered voters to automatically receive mail-in ballots.