Florida bill proposes 20-minute daily recess for middle school students

CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Newly proposed legislation could bring 20 minutes of recess to middle school students in Florida.

Two related bills, sponsored by Rep. Paula Stark and Sen. Kristen Arrington, would require schools to provide 100 minutes per week of "free-play" to kids from 6th to 8th grade.

Proposed Florida legislation would require 20 minutes of daily recess for middle school students

Parents at Skyline Elementary School expressed support for the proposal during school pickup.

"It's like let the kids be kids," said Ashley Knowlton, mother of two children.

Danielle Luis, also a mother of two, believes the break would help students refocus.

"If they get that 20-minute break, they'll be able to focus better for the next set of classes they have," Luis said.

Books in a classroom — Some parents told Fox 4 that recess could give students a "brain break" from their studies and help them get refreshed to continue learning.

Denise Parrish, grandmother of three, said recess time could help middle school students burn off excess energy. Her daughter teaches middle school and has witnessed the challenges firsthand.

"Just to take a little bit of that out, because it gets pretty hectic sometimes," Parrish said.

The proposed legislation would not apply to charter schools.

Parents questioned about potential impacts on learning time, but remained optimistic about the daily break.

Bikes at school — Parents told Fox 4 that adding recess at middle schools would give students a chance to release some energy during the school day.

"Twenty minutes is really not that long," Knowlton said.

Luis agreed and said students "can regroup themselves and be able to go back and focus more on school."

The bill's sponsors did not respond to requests for comment.

You can read more about Senate Bill 1518 here and House Bill 1149 here.

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