Trustee adds amendment to wellness policy to say recess should not be used as punishment

The Knox County Board of Education adopted an amendment to the district wellness policy (I440) on June 5 clarifying that unstructured physical activity at recess should not be used as punishment.

Miss Fontenot Ridley offered the amendment (referred to as version 2), asking the policy to include language "nor imposed upon" to prevent recess from being used as a punitive measure. She said her concern came from seeing students repeatedly required to walk laps as a consequence for behavior, which she described as a band-aid rather than a behavioral intervention.

Miss Fontenot Ridley said, "It bothers me when I see kids having to walk laps on the playground because of behavior in the classroom," and urged the board to emphasize changing the behavior rather than repeatedly assigning physical activity.

Board members discussed whether the added language would create conflicts with physical-education requirements or open the district to legal claims. Mister Triplett asked whether adding this language could create problems for required PE time; Doctor Wilson (staff) replied that he had "no large concern" and that the addition largely reiterated existing language about unstructured activity and was contextualized within the law.

Trustees expressed support. Miss Morgan said she supported the amendment and that she has personal discomfort with negative associations between physical activity and punishment. The board voted on version 2 of the policy language; the motion carried.

The amendment references national position statements from organizations such as SHAPE and NASPE; Miss Fontenot Ridley offered to forward those references to the board by email.