Conroe ISD extending recess in fall 2017



SLIDESHOW: Best schools in the greater Houston area less A Wilkinson student enjoys the sunshine at recess. After parent complaints, Conroe ISD elementary schools will expand recess to 30 minutes per day for the 2017-18 school year.

SLIDESHOW: Best schools in the ... more A Wilkinson student enjoys the sunshine at recess. After parent complaints, Conroe ISD elementary schools will expand recess to 30 minutes per day for the 2017-18 school year. Image 1 of / 57 Caption Close Conroe ISD extending recess in fall 2017 1 / 57 Back to Gallery

Conroe ISD elementary school students experienced a win of playful proportions when parent advocacy persuaded changes in recess time.

Students at Galatas Elementary School in The Woodlands have enjoyed a mere 15 minutes of recess - the short end of playtime, which did not sit well with for some concerned parents.

State law requires kindergarten through fifth-grade students to engage in at least 135 minutes of physical activity per week or 30 minutes per day. Sixth-grade students are also required to have at least 135 minutes of physical activity per week.

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In CISD, recess durations are mandated by campus administrators. The district achieves the minimum through physical education curriculum, rather than a 30-minute recess. However, some parents and researchers have argued that unstructured playtime offers different benefits than structured activity during PE.

In response to the limited time on the playground at Galatas, two parents addressed CISD board members in September 2016 to fight for their children's rights to playtime.

Kari Daily expressed concern with what she called a "lack of unstructured play," according to a previous Courier article. She told the board her daughter, a first-grader at the time, had become uncharacteristically "fidgety," moody, stressed and unhappy.

Galatas parent Katy Clarke, whose son was a third-grader at the time, said after hearing her son talk about 15-minute recess, she and other parents felt this was not enough time. After doing research, Clarke said an "overwhelming" amount of resources supported the benefits of adequate recess time.

"I think it's a classic example of the principle of diminishing returns," Clarke said. "I think extra time devoted to academics is only helpful to a certain extent. It's important for the children to have the time they need in a day to have a break and unwind, which I think will make the academic time they have more effective."

Multiple studies lent to the argument, with the American Academy of Pediatrics stating recess is a "necessary break from the rigors of concentrated, academic challenges in the classroom."

Additionally, the U.S. Play Coalition published a 2013 report stating fourth-grade students were found to be "less fidgety and more on-task when they had recess."

CISD Superintendent Dr. Don Stockton said via email that recess time is determined by campus administrators to "both meet the needs of their student population and comply with state laws."

Stockton said a committee was formed to address the duration of recess, and in the spring semester, all elementary campuses had recess extended to a minimum of 20 minutes. To take it a step further, Stockton confirmed that all district elementary campuses will have a minimum of 30 minutes for recess starting in fall 2017.

In comparison, Magnolia ISD Communications Director Denise Meyers said kindergarten through fifth-graders have recess for 20 minutes. Willis ISD Communications Director Jamie Fails said recess in the district ranges from 10-30 minutes, with 20 minutes being the average.

South of The Woodlands, Houston ISD implemented 30-minute districtwide recesses in 2012.

On a national scale, according to an April 2017 Boston Globe article, a group of parents in Medway also lobbied their district to approve an extra 10 minutes at recess for their elementary schoolchildren. These students now spend 25 minutes a day outside for recess.

Daily said she was "relieved" to hear the district made the decision to extended recess to 30 minutes. Even the addition of five minutes to recess in the spring semester has shown a noticeable and positive difference in her child.

Clarke said she received feedback from parents from other district schools who shared her and Daily's concerns. She is "thrilled" children will have the unstructured time they deserve.

"I appreciated their (parents') diligence with researching recess times," CISD board president Melanie Bush said of the decision. "I also appreciate the district administration's willingness to review what the ladies presented and to work with the campuses and parents to make the best decisions for the students."