The Carson City School Board is considering cutting back the district’s required daily recess time by one-third, causing concern among some local parents.
Under the Carson City School District’s policy, elementary school students get at least three 15-minute recess periods per day. Under the proposed policy introduced at the board’s March 24 meeting, the required recess time would be brought down to 30 minutes, with the option for an additional 15 minutes.
Christine Perkins, the district’s MTSS (multitiered system of support) and student wellness director, said the way the current policy is written is restrictive and the new language would allow more scheduling flexibility for principals.
“Our intention is 100 percent to keep recess a daily part of every elementary student’s day,” she said during the board meeting.
The proposed policy was a discussion-only item on the Carson City School Board’s agenda, meaning the board took no action on it for now. The board is expected to revisit the proposal with some possible changes at a later date.
Mary Ann Giddens was one of the parents who spoke against the policy at the meeting.
“In my opinion, reducing recess will ultimately make our kids suffer as a result of adult mismanagement,” she said. “Reducing the time of recess is counterintuitive to trying to get the best out of our kids.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recess improves students’ memory, attention and concentration, reduces disruptive behavior in the classroom and supports their social and emotional development.
At least 13 states have laws that require daily recess.
Nevada doesn’t have a law in the books that requires a certain number of recess minutes, specific recess structure or prohibits schools from withholding recess for certain students. However, the state’s wellness policy states schools must provide students with the opportunity for moderate to vigorous physical activity for at least 30 minutes during each regular school day, and Carson City’s policy is more generous than some other Nevada districts.
The Clark County School District said in a statement this can include morning recess, lunch recess, physical education and routine brain breaks throughout the instructional day. But the state policy doesn’t set a minimum recess time.
The Storey County School District, which serves about 400 students, has a similar wellness policy, but leaves the implementation to the discretion of each of its school sites, Superintendent Joe Girdner said in a March 26 statement. He added that the district has a single P.E. teacher for its four schools and because of this, the frequency and duration of P.E. can vary by grade level and scheduling needs.
Washoe County School District elementary school students get a minimum of 100 minutes of recess per week, or about 20 minutes per day, said spokeswoman Vickie Campbell. They also receive P.E. once per week, but it’s not a required course in their curriculum.
In addition to the Carson City School District’s required recess time, elementary school students get 45 minutes of physical education (P.E.) per week, plus a bonus lesson once a month, totalling 225 minutes of P.E. per month.
A 2025 bill, AB53, would have required at least 20 minutes of outdoor recess each school day, and indoor recess during unsafe weather conditions, for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The bill would also prohibit schools from denying recess time for students with behavioral or academic issues, except in certain circumstances. But the bill died without a hearing.
— This story is used with permission of The Nevada Independent. Go here for updates to this and other Nevada Independent stories.
