Parents in Montclair have started a petition to get their kids more time to play outdoors.
MONTCLAIR -- How long should New Jersey kids be playing outside during the school day? A group of parents in Montclair says at least 40 minutes, and they are petitioning their local school board to make it happen.
The group, known online as "Montclair Parents for Recess," started a petition on change.org demanding the school board and administration consider mandating a minimum of 40 minutes of unstructured recess per day for Kindergarten through fifth grade students.
Parents in Montclair say recess should be 40 minutes long. File photo. (Lauren Casselberry | For The Jersey Journal)The petition argues that the 23 minutes students currently get for recess is insufficient, and requests that the district loosen its policies governing when students have "indoor recess" instead of heading outside.
"It is not reasonable to call indoor recess simply because there is light rain, snow on the ground, or that temperatures have dropped below 35 degrees," the petition reads. Instead, the petition suggests calling for indoor recess only when temperatures drop below 22 degrees.
Organizers of the petition could not immediately be reached for comment.
So far, the petition has been signed by 287 people. Its goal is to reach 500.
A spokeswoman for Montclair Superintendent Roland Bolandi said he "is aware" of the parents' movement, and is planning to discuss recess policies with the Board of Education at a meeting in May.
Board President Jessica deKoninck said she, too, was aware of the movement. "We will discuss (the recess petition) at our May 2 board meeting," she said.
Last year, New Jersey lawmakers passed a bill mandating 20 minutes of recess each day for elementary school students. Gov. Chris Christie vetoed the bill in January.
Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.