Senate Bill 1481 by Sen. Ally Seifried (R-Claremore) would double the state’s minimum requirement for recess from 20 minutes to 40 minutes for students in full-time kindergarten through fifth grade. It can be divided into two periods of 20 minutes.
It also stipulates that students can’t have recess taken away as a form of discipline.
“Doubling recess time is a simple, practical way to give students’ brains a break so they come back to the classroom recharged and ready to focus,” Seifried said in a news release. “Kids aren’t meant to sit still all day.”
The bill passed the Senate unanimously and heads to the House, where Rep. Chad Caldwell (R-Enid) has signed on as the House author. Caldwell is the vice chair of the Education Oversight Committee.
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