Everett, Wash.
Published: Friday, February 1, 2008

Should recess be a required course?

Tulalip legislator says it would fight obesity

By Katya Yefimova
Herald Writer

 OLYMPIA -- Deja Fisher is a curly-haired, bright-eyed 7-year-old in second grade at Boze Elementary in Tacoma. She said she likes to play games, such as four square outside with her friends.

Right now, Fisher only has one recess period -- after lunch -- but she said she would like to spend more time on the playground.

Fisher is not the only one who thinks so. Rep. John McCoy, D-Tulalip, has sponsored a bill that would require schools to set aside at least 40 minutes a day for recess.

The bill, which was first introduced last year, would make sure all public schools provide students from kindergarten through 12th grade with time for physical activity.

Recess currently is not mandatory. In an effort to improve academics, schools throughout the state have been cutting down on time that has traditionally been set aside for recess.

McCoy said he might propose an amendment to make it half an hour if the proposed 40 minute period doesn't fit within the class-time framework.

The recess bill is part of a greater effort for children's health, McCoy said. "We've become an obese society," he said, saying the bill will help address this.

Along with the growing rates of childhood obesity, type 2 diabetes, previously thought to be an adult disease, is now a concern for young children.

Snohomish County is no stranger to the problem, said Gary Goldbaum, health officer for the Snohomish Health District, local public-health agency.

According to the agency's Obesity Report of 2004, more than 80 percent of students who thought of themselves as obese were trying to lose weight by eating less and exercising.

That is what the legislation intends to accomplish: The goal is to get kids to exercise or at least to get them outside. Then, McCoy said, maybe they will start losing weight.

Besides better physical health, being more active could help students "get the jitters out" and concentrate in class better, McCoy said.

Washington Health Foundation Policy Director Don Sloma said a broader, more comprehensive program is needed to bring about change.

"While physical education is an important piece of school education, we favor a coordinated approach to physical health," he said.

Getting kids on balanced diets and teaching them about healthy lifestyles are some of the other aspects.

Rep. Mike Sells, D-Everett, supported the legislation, calling it a "well-intended bill."

The lack of exercise in schools is a problem, he said. "I don't think it's healthy for learning." But since schools already are frustrated with the lack of funding, Sells said they would need help to implement these changes.

Making recess the rule has school administrators skeptical. "As far as scheduling goes, it would be virtually impossible," Washington Association of School Administrators Assistant Executive Director Barbara Mertens said.

"It's really hard to translate this proposal into dollars and cents," Mertens said, "but the Legislature mandates so much, it's a question of how to fit everything into a school day."

Speaking of dollars and cents, McCoy said the bill wouldn't create an unfunded mandate but urge schools to "take recess money back to recess," as schools have been using these funds for the Washington Assessment of Student Learning.

Mertens also said administrators are concerned because the Legislature is encroaching upon what has traditionally been an area of local control.

However, not all stakeholders feel the same. "It may be wise to give individual schools more options, but obesity needs statewide leadership and resources," Goldbaum said.

While requiring schools to allocate time for physical activity may be one way to address that, Cathy Phipps, Washington State PTA director for Snohomish and Island counties, said the bill is far from perfect.

The way the bill is written, she said, doesn't provide opportunities for free, unstructured time, which is what the parents are asking for. "We will be working with the legislators to find a workable solution," she said.

McCoy's bill isn't the only legislation concerning recess. Sen. Rosa Franklin, D-Tacoma, sponsored a bill requiring a recess period for elementary-school students.

The legislation also intends to combat obesity and diabetes. But unlike McCoy, Franklin doesn't specify a time frame and doesn't extend the requirement to middle and high school students.

"There are ways to teach older kids the importance of being active," she said. "But younger kids learn in recess."

For Deja and her friends, that means more time on the swings and monkey bars.
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA