Washington State Senate Democrats Announcement.

The bill, introduced in the Washington State Legislature last week and co-sponsored by Senators T’wina Nobles (D-Fircrest) and Senator Claire Wilson (D-Auburn), requires students to take at least a 45-minute break during each day’s class. is guaranteed. Currently, there are no Washington state laws that guarantee breaks for students.

“Children not only deserve play, it’s very important to their development,” Nobles said. “Withholding breaks, especially as a disciplinary measure, has the opposite effect. Research shows that students learn better when they take time off. We need to strengthen the improvement of

Senate Bill 5257 It also tells the Washington State School Board to encourage breaks in physical activity in middle and high schools, to promote pre-lunch breaks in elementary schools, to prohibit the use of physical activity as punishment, and to take breaks for disciplinary or disciplinary purposes. I direct you to develop a model policy that strongly discourages withholding for academic reasons. The bill is scheduled for a hearing before the Senate Committee on Early Learning and K-12 Education on Wednesday, January 18 at 1:30 p.m.

“There has never been a more important time to invest in downtime. Our children have experienced trauma, anxiety, and isolation during this pandemic,” said the director of sports medicine at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Monique Barton, M.D., parent of two elementary school students, said.

Extensive research shows the positive effects of rest.
– Reduces cortisol levels and stress/anxiety
– better social skills and problem solving
– Improved physical health
– Improves memory, attention and concentration
– Improved work time and reduced disruptive behavior when in the classroom

“Research clearly shows the benefits of rest for children. Consistent and predictable rest periods help children reduce stress, form social connections in school, and prepare their brains for learning. It helps you get organized.

A recent study by the King County Play Equity Coalition found that there is a large disparity in the amount of breaks that Washington elementary school students receive. In 2022, 580 parents of elementary and middle school students in 16 counties were surveyed.

Findings from that survey include:

• 75% of parents believe their children are not getting enough rest time.
• Elementary school recess time varied from less than 10 minutes to more than 50 minutes each day. According to surveyed parents, 35% of elementary school students have a break of 30 minutes or less every day.
• 41% of parents surveyed said their child’s school never closed. A further 31% were unsure if their school had a tax withholding practice.
• 72% of primary school parents surveyed believe students should have at least 40 minutes of rest time

More than 20 states, including Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, Illinois, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and West Virginia, have already enacted vacation or physical activity laws.

According to the State of Play Report, a 2019 King County Play Equity Coalition report, only 19% of young people in King County regularly engage in 60 minutes of physical activity each day. The American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily for young people ages 6 to 17.

Breaks count as class hours in Washington State Public Schools, so additional breaks need not extend the school day.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “Break time is a necessary daily break to optimize a child’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development. It should be regarded as a reasonable amount of time and should not be withheld for academic or punitive reasons. To be effective, breaks should be frequent and long enough to allow students to decompress mentally. Rest periods can balance sedentary time and contribute to the recommended 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity per day.

Some organizations in the Recess for Washington Coalition include:
– Actions for healthy children
– Active school
– all girls
– Best Start Washington
– girl bra
– Washington state school community
– Global Recess Alliance
– Girls on the Run Puget Sound
– King County Play Equity Coalition
– One roof foundation
– Playworks
– Special Olympics Washington
– sports at school
– successful and healthy children
– Institute of Sports at UW Medicine
– lack of power
– Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
– Washington Education Association (WEA)

Individual supporters are:
– Mandy Manning, 2018 National Teacher of the Year
– Dr. Pooja Tandon, MD, Seattle Children’s Hospital and University of Washington
– Dr. Rebecca London, University of California, Santa Cruz, author of Rethinking Recess: Creating safe and inclusive playtime for all children in school
– Dr. William Massey, PhD, Associate Professor, Oregon State University
– Dr. Monique Burton, MD, Director of Sports Medicine, Seattle Children’s Hospital
– Denisha Jones, PhD, JD, Executive Director, Defending the Early Years
– Dr. Julie McCreary, Ph.D., University of Washington
– Dr. Anna Beresin, Professor of Psychology and Ethnology, University of the Arts, author of Recess Battles: Playing, Fighting, and Storytelling. And the art of play: the practice of recess and invention.
– Dr. Elizabeth Waveright
– Karla Landis, Associate Director, Sports Institute at UW Medicine
– Asia Wisecarver, Executive Director, Playworks PACNW
– Linnea Westerlind, Outdoor Childhood Puget Sound, WA PTA Member
– Emily Carter, Special Olympics Washington
– Maya Manus, Metropolitan Seattle’s Urban League
– Marisa Patrick, Program Director, Upower
– Adrienne Moore, Center for Healing and Justice Through Sport
・Hana Kawai, All Girl Everything Ultimate Program (AGE UP)
– Gabbi Gonzales, Recreation Coordinator, City of Burien

About the Washington Recess
Recess for Washington is a statewide grassroots coalition of researchers, parents, educators, advocates, and community-based organizations dedicated to ensuring all students have equitable breaks during class. advocating policy change. Coalition champions take a break because they are proven to support the mental, physical and emotional health of children.The King County Play Equity Coalition provides key leadership.Find out more and join us Recessforwa.org.

About King County Play Equity Coalition
The King County Play Equity Coalition is committed to collective action to transform our communities where all youth, especially youth from historically underserved groups, are furthest from play equity. A network of cross-sectoral organizations in the Seattle area.

The social and emotional benefits of play, sports, outdoor recreation and physical activity. The coalition includes over 115 members representing non-profit and community-based organizations, school districts, neighborhood groups, businesses, government agencies, and professional sports teams.Click here for details kcplayequity.org.