The Boys Initiative strongly believes that all kids should have recess every day and canceling recess should not be punishment for bad behavior. Our “It’s Time for Recess Campaign” focuses on educating legislators about the importance of recess for kids, especially boys.
We were encouraged by a major success in 2023. California’s K-8 public school pupils are now guaranteed access to at least 30 minutes of recess on regular instruction days and at least 15 minutes on early release days, beginning with the 2024-25 school year.
Legislators in both the Senate and Assembly unanimously passed SB-291, a bill introduced this year by Senator Josh Newman, Chair of the Senate Committee on Education.
This is great news for children who benefit from active, unstructured play to help reset their minds and bodies during otherwise structured school days filled with academic demands that involve sitting still. The benefits of recess include increased physical activity, improved memory, paying more attention in class, and less disruptive behavior. These benefits and others have been found in a wide body of research and are noted in the Center for Disease Control’s recommendation on recess.
Children need to move, and boys in particular need to move more. Thanks to testosterone and serotonin levels, boys’ brains are wired for continuous movement, competition and exploration, but these chemicals can work against them in the classroom. Research shows boys are equally intelligent as girls, yet overall, their GPA’s are significantly lower than girls, and boys are trailing girls in virtually all educational outcomes, including suspensions and graduation rates. This disparity has been linked to behavior pulling down their grades. With this new legislation ensuring regular movement and exercise, this unfortunate differential could (at least partly) be alleviated.
The bill prohibits school staff members from restricting a student’s recess unless there is an immediate threat to the physical safety of the pupil or the physical safety of one or more of the pupil’s peers. Recess shall also be held outdoors whenever the weather and air quality permits, and if outdoor space is not sufficient, recess may be held indoors.
California now joins Florida, Missouri, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Arizona, and Washington which have already adopted standardized school recess policies. As we continue our “It’s Time for Recess!” campaign, we will educate legislators and track the progress of recess legislation around the country.