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Showing posts from March, 2017

No rest from recess advocacy: Go, Christine & Arizonans for Recess, Go!

CHRISTINE DAVIS Madison School District, Arizona I organized Madison Parents for Recess (now Arizonans for Recess) last school year when our K-4 school went from two recesses a day to one — and made the kids sit quietly in the library during that one recess on high-heat days in August and September. When I asked why the students couldn’t go to the gym for recess, school administrators said it was "because the kids would feel free to run around in the gym." The shock of that answer, indicating a presumption against movement/physical activity, compelled my action, as did a few calls confirming that most large/urban schools in Arizona had gone to one short daily recess, combined with a hurried lunch. Word of the Facebook group spread quickly and I learned many parents had been wanting to gather around the recess issue. As we began advocating with school and district officials, and ultimately our school board, teachers and administrators (both active and retired) began