EPISD to consider extending recess

The El Paso Independent School District could take into consideration extending recess time for students.

Currently, schools have an average of 30 minutes for lunch, but at elementary schools, that time is divided into eating lunch and recess or playtime.

The EPISD Curriculum and Instruction Committee meets once a month to discuss ideas that may have potential.

“We are responding to some parent input on the need to increase the number of minutes of recess in each day,” said Dori Fenenbock, president of the EPISD board of trustees.

Fenenbock said Thursday’s meeting was an opportunity “to vet in more detail before some of these decisions come to the board.”

A 2015 Paso Del Norte Health Foundation report polled nearly a dozen school districts in El Paso County and southern New Mexico.

Most districts do have recess time for about 15 minutes, but the National Association for Sports and Physical Education recommends 20 or more minutes of recess.

“Whether that recess will be before or after lunch is also being considered,” Fenenbock said.

The PDNHF reported recess helps with socialization and academic performance, but many times recess is cut short because of an increased focus on testing, staffing and budget crunching.