Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Recess Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lawmakers endorse 30‑minute minimum recess for young students; bill passes committee
Summary
House Bill 14‑93, the Growing Minds Active Kids Act, would set a statewide minimum of 30 minutes of recess for all‑day pre‑K through fifth grade and strongly recommend similar time for grades 6–8; the committee approved the measure after questions about local control and implementation.
House Bill 14‑93, called the Growing Minds Active Kids Act, was advanced out of committee after debate over whether a statewide minimum would intrude on local control.
Representative Maura Rosecrans, the bill’s sponsor, told the committee the measure "sets a statewide minimum of at least 30 minutes of recess for all day pre K through fifth grade" and "strongly recommends the same for sixth to eighth grade," while preserving scheduling decisions for local school boards.
Members broadly endorsed the policy goal, citing research that physical activity aids learning, but several lawmakers objected to what they viewed as a mandate without opt‑outs or local discretion. Vice Chair Justin Caldwell asked whether the proposal reduced local control; Rosecrans said many schools already meet or exceed 30 minutes and that the bill addresses an important educational need.
Representative Hasenbeck and others probed practical barriers, including facility space and staffing constraints. Rosecrans said those factors explain why some schools do not provide longer recess periods and argued the minimum is needed to ensure all students receive regular physical activity.
The committee voted unanimously to recommend the bill for passage and will send it to the full House.
Ending: With broad floor support expected but some members requesting flexibility, the bill clears committee and moves forward for additional consideration.
