Elementary school students would no longer have to fear losing precious time on the playground for misbehaving in class under legislation the House of Delegates’ Education Committee is slated to consider this morning.
The proposal, sponsored by Del. Robert Hull, D-Falls Church, would forbid schools from keeping students out of recess as punishment unless a parent had given written permission.
“You have young children, especially boys, who have a lot of energy,” Hull told The Examiner. “When they don’t get a chance to release that energy at recess, they come home to their parents and act wild. It helps them if they have that exercise and release that energy.”
Students, even unruly ones, will learn better if they have a chance to run around outside and burn off that energy, Hull said.
“It is healthier for them too,” he added. “They can socialize with other kids and that helps them with those skills. Being outside in the fresh air is good for kids.”
Fairfax County Schools spokesman Paul Regnier said most elementary schools offer recess everyday to students.
The school system opposes the bill, he said, because teachers need flexibility in disciplining students. Elementary-aged children are too young for the traditional punishment of keeping students after school, he added.
“In elementary schools a teacher has really limited options in terms of discipline,” Regnier said. “It would not happen very often, but it is something that the teachers should not be prohibited from doing.”
The measure does have support from the Virginia Congress of Parents and Teachers. In a recent survey posted on the group’s Web site, 90 percent of Virginia teachers said recess is as important as any other part of the school day because of the social benefits students gain by interacting with each other during the free time.
The PTA also wants Virginia to mandate that time for recess must be provided daily. Members worry that cuts in schools’ budgets and the added emphasis being placed on standardized testsare causing schools to shrink or eliminate recess periods.
