Cooper Elementary - Right to Recess

The Fort Dodge school district has implemented the decision for elementary schools to have one recess during a typical school day. This decision may have been based on test scores and increasing the amount of instructional time.

The American Academy of Pediatrics believes that recess is a crucial and necessary component of a child's development and, as such, should not be withheld for academic reasons. Minimizing or eliminating recess may be counterproductive to academic achievement, as a growing body of evidence suggests that recess promotes not only physical health and social development but also cognitive performance.

Many health and education experts argue that recess is a necessary activity for child development, and we, as parents, need to advocate for more recess time. I consider each minute spent by kids being active and interacting with other children just as crucial to their development as time in the classroom.