More Recess? Bill Would Give Every Student Council Candidate Their Wish
Proposal would mandate at least 60 minutes of recess through 6th grade.
Students swing during recess at Langlade County’s Pleasant View Elementary School on June 6, 2019. (Rob Mentzer/WPR)
A recently introduced state bill would require kindergarten through sixth-grade students in Wisconsin to get at least 60 minutes of recess every day.
Under current law, “no more than 30 minutes per day” can be counted towards the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s direct pupil instruction requirement, according to the DPI website.
“Certainly, learning happens in the classroom, too. No doubt about it,” Penterman said. “But also, I think we started to lose sight of just how important physical activity is — not necessarily just gym class, but unstructured physical play and the kind that happens at recess.”
A Legislative Reference Bureau analysis of the proposal defines recess as time when students have “supervised, unstructured time for physical activity, play, organized games, or social engagement with other pupils.” Students would not be allowed to use electronic devices like phones or tablets during recess under the measure.
Shannon Wysocki, the co-leader of Say Yes to Recess Wisconsin, said she has been in contact with some school districts across the state where only 15 minutes of recess is offered to students in a school day.
“To have them sitting in classrooms for long, extended periods of time, it’s just not developmentally appropriate for them,” Wysocki said. “So one solution that we have been presenting is recess, because recess gives them an outlet that supports them as the whole child.”
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says recess can benefit a “student’s mental, emotional, and physical well-being,” and can improve a child’s memory and attention. An online petition from Say Yes to Recess Wisconsin, which has over 2,000 signatures, says recess is “crucial to the health, well-being, and academic success of our children.”
“Recess provides essential opportunities for children to develop social skills, problem-solving abilities, and emotional regulation — all of which are key components of learning and growth,” the petition says.
State Rep. Joy Goeben, R – Hobart, a co-sponsor of the bill, said she believes students can still learn during recess even if they may not be in a traditional classroom setting.
“Getting kids out, off screens, off of technology, learning to play again… it’s really important,” Goeben said.
The bill says recess may not be withheld from a student for disciplinary reasons, “unless the pupil’s participation in recess poses an immediate threat to the safety of the pupil or others,” according to the Legislative Reference Bureau analysis.
Wysocki said her group had been working with Penterman on the legislation. She said it was important the 60-minute requirement didn’t extend the length of the school day.
“Because the goal is not to extend the school day,” Wysocki said. “We do not want to make the school day longer — we want recess to be viewed as part of instruction time.”
Youth leader Angela Allgood, center, gives a high five while playing Connect 4 with students Wednesday, July 12, 2023, at Bay View High School in Milwaukee, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
Sam Roochnik, a math teacher at Reuther Central High School in Kenosha, is part of a group of parents and educators who are pushing for longer recess times in the Kenosha Unified School District.
“Even though it doesn’t feel like you’re doing academics when you give kids a break, the studies show that … recess gives them the reset that they need so that they can not just absorb the material, but then come back and learn more,” Roochnik said.
“The review identified two primary challenges: the need for additional supervision, with cost implications, and limited flexibility within the school day to meet state-mandated instructional minute requirements,” Ruder wrote.
Ruder said the district is monitoring the proposed legislation. If the bill passes, she said it will conduct a review “to ensure all subject-area requirements are met and develop a supervision plan that does not create additional costs, particularly as we are already facing a deficit in the 2026-27 fiscal year.”
Only Republican co-sponsors have signed onto the measure so far. Penterman expects the bill to get a public hearing in the next few months.
A spokesperson for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction said it’s still analyzing the legislation and had no comment on Wednesday.
Wisconsin bill would require K-6 schools to offer at least 60 minutes of recess every day was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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