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Board revisits recess length after new research; disagreement over optimal schedule
Summary
A board member pushed to restore a 30‑minute recess citing May research on cognitive benefits; administrators noted building schedules vary and warned long unstructured breaks may cause behavioral issues, while others cited research supporting both models.
A board member proposed returning to a 30‑minute recess standard, saying recent research suggests cognitive and social benefits from longer breaks. “I feel that it’s in our kids’ benefit to go back to a 30 minute recess that we had previously,” the member said while urging the board to consider research published in May.
Administrators noted schedules differ across Franklin’s buildings—some already provide about 30 minutes while others run 20–25 minutes once transitions are included—and cautioned that long, unstructured recess can lead to behavioral problems for younger children. Dr. Kellogg said the district supports brain breaks during instructional blocks as well as consistent building practices and that leadership committees had discussed the issue; no policy change was adopted at the meeting.
