Case Study Elementary School Recess

Case Study: Elementary Recess The need for scheduled recess in elementary school has been a constant debate amongst parents, teachers, and administration. Currently in Pinellas County Schools, there is no mandate requiring schools to provide scheduled recess for students. According to a Change.org petition “Pinellas County School's Administration Guidelines for Wellness, Physical Activity, and Nutrition says that schools should "investigate" providing 20 minutes of recess [each day]” Recently, Pinellas Parents for PE, Recess, and Healthy Schools (a group on change.org) started a petition to urge the counties superintendent to create mandates for daily scheduled recess. Though it seems all parties understand the benefits of scheduled recess, each has its own concerns. Where will the time come from? Who will be responsible for the students during this time? How will these people be compensated? Is this an additional responsibility of the classroom teacher? This case study will take a closer look at the implementation, pluses and deltas, of a recess program at a Pinellas County Elementary School.

Fifty-four percent of these students qualify for free or reduced lunch. School C serves approximately 532 of those students: 78% Caucasian, 8% African American, 6% Hispanic, and 8% other. Sixteen percent of these students qualify for free or reduced lunch. According to School C’s 2015-2016 School Improvement Plan (SIP), there are 40 members of the instructional staff: 50% with 15 or more years teaching experience, 42% with 6-14 years of teaching experience, and 8% with 1-5 years of teaching experience. Thirty-five percent of the instructional staff hold advanced degrees and 100% are considered Highly Qualified Teachers as defined in 20 U.S. Code §