OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – It was a full house at the Osceola County School Board meeting, with parents pushing to have recess for their kids in school.
"They need it, they need it to get their communication skills to problem solve and to get the energy out," said Kim Noble.
Noble said her third-grader, Aiden, needs free-play interaction with other kids.
"When I came to this grade, it shut down," said 8-year-old Aiden. "They shut down recess and I was like, what, that's my favorite."
When parents presented the issue to the Osceola School Board, Superintendent Melba Luciano said it's something the district needs to break down by minutes in a school day to see where recess can be added.
Not every school in the district has recess in its seven-hour school day. One parent told us her 5-year-old came home crying after he found out they didn't get to play outside.
"I could see in his eyes that he lost that enthusiasm for school, he needed that time to socialize, that time to make friends," said parent Amanda Lipham. "I asked him if he made any friends and he said 'No I don't have time, I don't have time to talk to them.'"
Some parents said just 20 minutes in the day would make a difference.
"I didn't know why, why wouldn't a child not have recess," said parent Tamara Pelc. "It seems like something that's so basic that we all had as a kid. I know things are different, but it doesn't make sense."
The school board said it's looking forward to talking to parents in the community and coming up with a plan in the next couple of months to make recess happen.