Oregon: Students Limited to Walking or Running Around a Track at Recess
November 7th, 2013Via: Mail Tribune:
Parents and kids of Jacksonville Elementary School say physical fitness shouldn’t be limited to endless circles on the school’s track in order to comply with the state’s physical education mandates.
Andy Kranenburg, an orthopedic surgeon with two sons at the school, was one of several parents and grandparents who spoke in defense of free-play recess at Monday’s Medford School Board meeting.
Periods of unstructured physical activity play a crucial role in developing cognitive structure and increasing social and physical skills, Kranenburg said.
“Free play” has been taken away during some recess periods, said Julie Evans, the district’s director of elementary education, on Tuesday.
However, she stressed, “Not every free-play recess has been affected or will be affected.”
Research Credit: noguru
