Reply to How long is recess at your DCPS elementary?

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[quote=Anonymous]This is a common question. You should work with your school's LSAT to come up with the right answer for your school. From our (successful) dealings with this, I faintly recall that DCPS does set standards, not so much for recess per se but for physical activity, which isn't the same as you may know. Outdoor recess is indeed curtailed when it's "too cold" (below freezing), which is ridiculous but something you can't change much about at the school level. There are many (laudable and not so laudable) reasons why a school may feel the need to minimize recess. And you really need to understand those reasons before coming to a snap judgment that "the more recess the better" and that your school has it all wrong in that department.
In tackling this issue, I recommend you parse out the reasons why you find recess important, physical activity, outdoor time, and free play being among the most important ones, and honestly ask yourself if a 30 min block of recess is the only (or best) way to achieve those goals. For example, what if free play was meaningfully woven into the school day? What if your school had found a way to provide effective opportunities for physical activity (as you know, not all kids are physically active during recess and often not those that need it most)? And what if your school as more effective ways of providing children with outdoor time and a bunch of screaming kids inhaling fumes on a blacktop?

I exaggerate but hope you see my point.[/quote]

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