California students in kindergarten through eighth grade will have a mandatory 30-minute recess break beginning with the 2024-25 school year, thanks to a new law recently signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
This is all done in an effort to recover from COVID-19-related educational disruptions.
"Since COVID has hit, the kids were not allowed to play or have their physical activities so I think it will be great for them to have that back,” said Estefani Hermosillo, Monarch Grove Elementary School parent.
State Senator Josh Newman says he introduced the bill after lingering effects from the pandemic on children’s social and emotional development caused classroom disruptions that he says have become increasingly prevalent.
"Get the energy out. Get more oxygen flowing to that brain and give them time to run it up, but you’re also able to sit and focus because you’re a little bit more exhausted. You’ve also had that time to socialize with your friends. They want nothing more than to be able to interact with other people that they have been so deprived of," said Sandra Golla, Monarch Grove Elementary School parent.
The elementary schools within the San Luis Coastal Unified School District already implement a 30-minute recess by splitting up playtime throughout the day between morning, lunch and afternoon recess.
“They get to interact with their peers. They get to practice all of the social skills and peer interactions that we teach and work on through our social-emotional learning opportunities in the classroom. They get an opportunity to transfer it outside to practice with their peers — turn-taking, resolving conflicts, being a part of community," said Lisa Yamashita, San Luis Coastal Unified School District Assistant Superintendent.
Under the new law, educators can no longer hold students in from a recess break as a form of punishment or discipline unless their participation would pose an immediate threat to themselves or the safety of other students.
On early dismissal days, the law requires students to get at least 15 minutes of recess.
