The Loudoun County School Board will vote on whether elementary students should get more daily unstructured recreational time, and whether it should be divided into two recess periods.

CHANTILLY, Va. — The Loudoun County School Board will vote Tuesday on whether elementary students should get more daily unstructured recreational time, and whether it should be divided into two recess periods.

A new Virginia law, which goes into effect July 1, allows school systems to count recess as part of the instructional day.

The board will vote Tuesday night on a policy passed unanimously in its Student and Support Services Committee, which calls for no less than 40 minutes of daily recess for students in kindergarten and no less than 30 minutes for students in grades 1 through 5.

The board debated whether the extended recess period should be divided into morning and afternoon recess, or provided in a single, longer recess.

The policy being voted upon Tuesday calls for morning and afternoon recess.

Loudoun County Public Schools surveyed its principals before the board developed its position.

Some principals and board members expressed concern that dividing recess into two periods would pose logistical challenges and further reduce instructional time. However, the consensus was students would benefit more, and be more productive, when receiving ‘mental breaks’ in the morning and afternoon.