Schools ban 'no recess' for kids out of health concerns

Punishing students by taking away recess has been outlawed in Springfield Public Schools.

But, officials confirm the traditional, age-old practice is still going on.

The district established the ban on 'no recess' as part of its wellness program. Recess keeps kids active because it is typically outside and can include free time on the playground or organized games. But moving away from the 'no recess' practice, which has become ingrained, has been a challenge.

"This is an ongoing conversation we're having within our schools," said Holland Principal Nicole Kimbrough. "... Kids need that opportunity for play and to socialize."

Talk of the practice came up at Tuesday's study session during an update of the wellness guidelines and the ongoing impact of the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010.

Board member Kris Callen said more work needs to be done to eradicate the 'no recess' disciplinary option. "If that has been our policy, I'm not sure that it's consistently implemented," she said.

The wellness guidelines were changed a few years ago to ban taking away gym or recess. Jean Grabeel, manager of health services, said elementary students must also receive 60 minutes of physical education — typically, two 30-minute periods — each week.

Referring to taking away recess, she said, "We know that doesn't work by research. It doesn't change the behavior."

More serious infractions, such as fighting, trigger an escalating list of disciplinary actions that start with calls to parents and trips to the principal's office and can include in-school or out-of-school suspensions. Taking away gym class or recess has long been used, primarily by teachers, for lesser infractions.

Associate Superintendent Ben Hackenwerth who oversees elementary schools where the 'no recess' practice has long been prevalent, stressed the need to end the punishment.

"Play is important. There is so much to be learned at play," he said. "In addition we want our kids to be active and outside."

Both Grabeel and Hackenwerth said they have communicated this change to principals but the practice has been around so long, the change is taking time.

"We talked about ideas, coming up with alternatives for not withholding recess," Grabeel said.

Hackenwerth said some schools have turned to making kids walk laps for part of recess as a way to discourage infractions such as talking too much in class or failing to turn in assignments on time.

"We still want kids outside. We want them active so they walk laps," he said. "It's a step in the right direction but we're not there yet."

He worries that assigning laps might be counterproductive.

"We don't want exercise used as a punishment," he said. "It would be a little like forcing kids to write sentences, when we want to encourage them to write."

Kimbrough said schools must encourage physical activity and protect play time for children.

"It's important that they have that opportunity to get out there, have dialogue and interaction with peers," she said.

Kimbrough said the 'no recess' practice has been around so long that it is commonly expected. She occasionally gets a call from a parent asking that their child lose recess privileges for poor behavior at home.

"Parents still aren't understanding that we don't want to restrict recess," she said.

Holland teachers will still assign students to walk laps, during the first part of recess, but there is a twist.

Since building relationships is a theme throughout Holland, the kid can pick a teacher, staff member, classmate — or even the principal — to walk alongside. They can talk about the behavior that triggered the lap.

"We are big on the relationship piece," she said. "….And we never take the entire recess from them."

Hackenwerth said other schools are restricting students' choices during recess as a way to encourage good behavior. He said more brainstorming needs to be done.

"Prior to the school year, we will revisit this with principals," he said.