Petition for Daily Recess at P.S. 50 Frank Hankinson Elementary Schools

Our children are the ones that have to sit seven hours a day in an over-crowded classroom. They must be able to stay engaged amongst students with different education levels and behavior patterns. They are the ones that have to digest, then retain, brand new information on a daily basis. They are the ones that eat the school lunches, breakfasts, and now, dinners loaded with additives that cause hyperactivity. They are the ones that have to complete homework in the evening. They are the ones expected to pass a standardized test in a non-standardized system. A failing test means their school will lose funding, their teacher's job will be on the line and their school district will receive a lower rating. 

The pressure for our children is immense...and they are being set up for failure.

Currently, the system in place, is neglecting key elements to make our children's education successful: health and social development. The most expensive, well-researched and highest rated curriculum on the market cannot teach this. Kids have to learn this on their own. There is an obvious reason why children do not bring home "social development" homework.

As parents, we are expected to take the reins on our children's health. We are told that allowing our children to sit in front of televisions, computers and video games fosters a sedentary lifestyle for our kids. We are told once they become teens, they would rather socialize through texts, email, and other social media outlets. We are bombarded with school flyers, newsletters, media articles, television documentaries and public service announcements with jaw-dropping statistics and research about the importance of getting our kids moving. As a parent, I agree with all of this.

On the same token, how is having a child sit in a classroom for hours without any means to socially interact in person any different?

It is time that we speak for our little ones...

We, the undersigned parents or legal guardians of P.S. 50 Frank Hankinson Elementary School students, believe that daily recess has a positive impact on learning and will benefit the physical, social, and emotional development of our children as well. We support this petition for the following reasons: 

1. The majority of P.S. 50 Frank Hankinson Elementary Schools children do not have daily, scheduled recess, including children as young as five years old.

2. While many schools have replaced recess with more instruction time over the last decade in order to improve students’ academic performance, there is no research that suggests this approach is effective. In fact, all available research indicates that increasing instruction time without providing appropriate breaks will have either no impact or a negative impact on learning. According to a review of research articles conducted by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, all studies found “one or more positive associations between recess and indicators of cognitive skills, attitudes, and academic behavior; none of the studies found negative associations.”

3. Many schools and school districts that previously reduced recess time are bringing it back as part of the daily schedule because research shows that it plays a critical role in learning and overall child development, and parents value it as an important part of their children’s school day.

4. Breaks from concentration are crucial to learning. The brain needs down time in order to be able to process more information. All people, especially young children, need breaks in order to be productive. Changing activities or subjects does not provide the required break.

5. Children are better behaved and more focused after recess. Recent studies have shown that children are more focused, on-task and better behaved after recess. Recess is especially helpful to children with attention deficit disorder.

6. Recess is important for social development. During recess children create their own games, learn how to resolve conflicts with one another, practice negotiating skills, and bond with their friends. Fewer and fewer children have the opportunity to do this outside of school.

7. Recess promotes physical activity, which is closely linked to cognitive development and function.

8. The health of our children is at risk. With 1 in every 3 children in New York being either overweight or obese, we need to take every opportunity to improve the health of our children. Research shows that children who have more opportunities for physical activity in school are more likely to be active outside of school as well. Daily recess is one of the most efficient ways to increase the daily activity level and physical health of our children.

9. Recess motivates children to go to school. Recess is the only time that children can socialize and play freely together. Having recess to look forward to as part of every school day has a positive effect on many children’s attitude toward school.

10. Unstructured physical play reduces stress. The National Association for the Education of Young Children recommends unstructured physical play as a developmentally appropriate means of reducing stress in children’s lives. Studies show that stress has a negative impact on learning as well as on health. Recess is a break from the structure and expectations of the classroom and gives children the opportunity to choose their activities.

11. Physical education (P.E.) and recess are both important, but neither one is a substitute for the other. The days on which P.S. 50 Frank Hankinson Elementary Schools students do not have scheduled recess are the days that they have P.E. However, P.E. forms part of the educational curriculum and is a structured class where students need to follow directions. It is also often held indoors. Recess, by definition, is a break from instruction, and the many benefits that accrue from it are directly related to it being unstructured time.

12. Daily, unstructured recess is supported by several national organizations, including the following: National Association for the Education of Young Children American School Health Association National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Association for Sport and Physical Education

We understand that the goal of P.S. 50 Frank Hankinson Elementary Schools administrators is to provide the best possible education for our children. We appreciate their efforts and recognize the complexities of the public education system. However, we feel that eliminating recess on one or more days per week in order to increase instruction time will not improve the education of our children and is ultimately counterproductive to the goal of developing our children into well-rounded, healthy, creative and productive citizens. Well-timed recess is much more likely to have a positive impact on learning and will benefit our children in important other ways. We, the undersigned, petition the District 31 school council to establish a policy to ensure a minimum of one daily scheduled recess period for all students in P.S. 50 Frank Hankinson Elementary Schools(K-5). Recess should be a period of supervised, unstructured play time held outside whenever possible and provided at a time that serves as a break in the students’ instructional day.

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