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US schools considering banning recess
The Calgary Herald (Sat 02 Dec 2006 Byline: Ruma Kumar Source: The Baltimore Sun) writes that for some youngsters, a 15-minute recess is a chance to practise for a soccer game later that day. But for many others, that time is the only physical activity during the day. In a growing number of elementary schools, those 15 minutes of playtime are threatened. Roughly 40 per cent of U.S. school districts either have eliminated recess or are considering eliminating it. Even more ominous, child health experts argue, is the trend toward banning run-and-chase games such as tag and kickball. Eliminating games that increase heart rates and improve hand-eye co-ordination, critics say, will fuel already high childhood-obesity rates. Some educators call these extreme reactions to overblown concerns. Public school systems are increasingly afraid of lawsuits from parents of children who get hurt on the playground. That fear of liability and the pressure to prepare students for high-stakes testing have spurred thousands of schools to cut recess and physical education -- usually in favour of increasing math and reading instruction.
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