Parents call for mandatory recess at Polk elementary schools

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) – A Polk County mother has urged school board officials to make daily recess a requirement at all county elementary schools.

Local media outlets near Lakeland report that Amanda Lipham publicly asked the Polk County School Board on Tuesday to demand that schools provide 20 minutes of recess daily. More than 2,000 people have signed Lipham’s petition in favor of recess.

Superintendent Kathryn LeRoy told Lipham that she would schedule a meeting with Lipham and would bring the topic forward with the board.

State law requires 150 minutes of physical education per week for elementary students, but there are no rules on recess time.

Fifty-three of the district’s elementary schools offer recess one or more days a week for some or all grade levels. Seventeen schools don’t have recess at all.