ORLANDO, Fla. – Bills to make several reforms to Florida public schools are on the fast track in the Florida Senate, but a provision that would have fundamentally changed school recess rules is being left behind.
The Florida Senate Fiscal Policy Committee unanimously approved three bills (SPB 7000, SPB 7002, SPB 7004) to make a variety of changes that lawmakers say will give school districts more flexibility. The bills are a priority of Senate President Kathleen Passidomo.
Among the changes in the three bills are changes to entice more teachers into the classroom, including contract changes, salary changes and changes to teaching certificates, more flexibility on how school boards can use federal funds, and reducing the reliance on testing to decide whether a student graduates.
While education advocates applauded many of the changes, one proposed change caused a considerable amount of backlash: a plan to remove the mandated 20 consecutive minutes of daily school recess.
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
Lawmakers wanted to remove the mandate to give the school districts more flexibility, but many criticized the move, including so-called “recess moms” who pushed for the mandate years ago when school districts began replacing recess with more study time.
Orange County School Board Vice Chair Angie Gallo, who was among those recess moms, told the Senate Education Pre-K-12 Committee last month that research showed that 20 minutes of consecutive, unstructured recess was essential for a student’s mental health and their ability to focus on their studies.
The revised school recess provision was removed from the bills Tuesday, which means the mandate will stay in place.
“I am so thankful to Senator (Cory) Simon for removing recess and keeping it intact. All the research around recess shows that 20 consecutive minutes of unstructured play yields the greatest benefits for students,” Gallo said.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: