Penquis Valley MS students, staff testify in Augusta on need for recess

How would you feel if you were not allowed fresh air from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.? How would you like to sit in a room all day, often working independently on packets of work? 

Penquis Valley Middle School grade 5-6 social studies teacher Debora Page said most of the Maine students in grades 6-8 have to cope with these conditions and a lack of outdoor recess when she spoke to the Legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs in Augusta on Feb. 9.

A bill — LD 156 – for outdoor recess for all middle-schoolers has been written by Rep. Margaret Cravin, D-Lewiston.

“No one denies that students need and deserve a break mid-day in which they can get fresh air and an opportunity to move around,” Page, who has taught in SAD 41 for 34 years, said. “Currently Maine’s law protects this right for students up through grade 5. Teachers and/or principals can not take their recess away for any reason. The same protection does not apply for students in grades 6-8. Sadly many teachers do not wish to monitor students during this time, so they opt for a study hall instead. Also, they look at recess as a reward for good behavior, taking this time away from students who struggle in the classroom.

“These practices are not unique to my school, but rather an issue many schools are trying to solve. I was hoping that we could begin by at least guaranteeing a 20 minute fresh air/recess break for all students K-8. Since COVID, we have seen many students struggle with social and emotional problems. Their grades have dropped and they struggle to focus in the classroom. A break in a student’s day is needed now more than ever. Our state is on the right track by having made it a law through grade five. Please consider this a priority and sign this bill into law guaranteeing the right to all students, grades K-8.”

“This recess bill will benefit middle school students because it is important that we get outside and get fresh air,” sixth-grader Makayla Sanborn told the committee.

“According to the CDC, studies have shown that recess actually benefits students by improving their memory and attention,” sixth-grader Addison Anthony said. “It also helps students stay on topic and reduces disruptive behaviors. Last but not least, it improves social development, and helps to boost test scores. To sum up all that has been stated: by passing the bill, LD156, ‘An Act to Require Outdoor Recess Time for Students from Grades 6 through 8,’ it would not only benefit the students but the teachers as well.”

Fifth-grader Jillian Romero said she loves recess “so I can run around and visit with my friends that are in a different homeroom than me. The worst part is that the eighth-graders stay in all day and the seventh-graders only go out on blue days once in a while! The best part about recess is that, thanks to Mrs. Page, we have a wonderful playground that has a zipline! So I am hoping that deep down inside you can sign this bill and make it a law that all middle school students should have recess every day.”

“Not all kids are done growing yet, so some kids need the activity outside to stretch out,” seventh-graders Jacoby Landry and Griffin Romero said. “Also, not all kids have physical education. They don’t have any time to be really active and able to run around and stretch out. That is just some of the reasons why we should have recess.”

“I think recess is important because it isn’t fair to have to sit all day long with no break,” sixth-grader Matthew Nichols said. “I hope you can agree with me and vote this bill into law.”

In a letter to legislators from the fall, Page wrote the state has a law protecting students up through grade five against taking away their recess time for any reason but grades 6-8 do not have that protection and instead they are asked to remain in a classroom to read, use their computer, or work on homework. 

Page said she hopes a bill would make it a law that all students through grade 8 be entitled to a 20-minute recess break each day. “As a state that encourages the out-of-doors, it would be a positive move to encourage people to move to our state,” she wrote. “It would show that we take care of our students’ social, emotional, and physical needs.”

Citing an American University student on recess benefits, Page said the time increases students’ level of physical activity; improves memory, attention, and concentration; helps them stay on-task in the classroom; reduces disruptive behavior in the classroom; and improves social and emotional development.

Page chaired a committee to establish a playground at Penquis Valley Middle School, with more than $160,000 raised for equipment, basketball court, and picnic pavilion for students and community. 

“With a law in place, all of our students would be able to enjoy the benefits of this area,” Page wrote. “Would you consider writing a bill and putting it through the Legislature to try and give our students 20 minutes of fresh air by making it a law that they deserve?”

In a second letter to legislators page said no one denies that students need and deserve a break mid-day in which they can get fresh air and an opportunity to move around. 

“Sadly many teachers do not wish to monitor students during this time, so they opt for a study hall instead,” Page wrote. “Also, they look at recess as a reward for good behavior, taking this time away from students who struggle in the classroom. These practices are not unique to my school, but rather an issue many schools are trying to solve. I was hoping that we could begin by at least guaranteeing a 20 minute fresh air/ recess break for all students K-8. Since COVID, we have seen many students struggle with social and emotional problems. Their grades have dropped and they struggle to focus in the classroom. A break in a student’s day is needed now more than ever. Our state is on the right track by making it a law through grade five. Please consider this a priority and write a bill guaranteeing the right to all students grades K-8.”