Illinois Bill Could Require Recess In Public Elementary Schools

ILLINOIS — A bill requiring public schools to provide at least 30 minutes of recess each day could soon go into effect. If Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs the bill, students in kindergarten through fifth grade across the state would be granted half an hour of unstructured play time.

The bill was sponsored by two Chicago Democrats who cited their own lack of recess during school as reasons for Senate Bill 654, which is being called the "right-to-play" bill.

"Yes, it's personal to me, because I never had recess growing up, ever," Rep. Aaron Ortiz, one of the bill's sponsors, said on the House floor. "And I don't want to see any child in our state to go without an opportunity to have recess."

The 30 minutes of recess could be split into two 15-minute sections if a school district chooses to, an agreement that House Republicans added to the amended bill after pushback from school administrators, who said a large chunk of time for recess could disrupt the structured school day.

The bill also states that a child cannot be denied recess as a punishment.

During days that last more than five hours, the time allotted for "supervised, unstructured, child-directed play" could not be substituted for physical education classes. On shorter days, recess would need to be last at least one-tenth of the school day.

"Play develops social skills, teaching children how to organize, cooperate, resolve conflict, share and lead," Ortiz said. "Play gives children the freedom to be creative and explore."

The bill's few opponents said hiring a recess supervisor could cause financial burden on some schools or that elective classes such as music and art might be dropped in favor of recess.

If Pritzker signs the bill, the requirement will start during the next school year.