Bill
SD 346
Each K–8 public or charter school must provide at least 30 consecutive minutes of supervised, outdoor or indoor safe free-play recess daily.
Status: House concurred; Referred to the Committee on Education (February 27, 2025)
Purpose
- Establishes a mandatory daily recess requirement for all students in kindergarten through eighth grade (K–8) in public and charter schools in Massachusetts.
- Seeks to protect and standardize unstructured, outdoor play as a regular part of the school day, with emphasis on student safety and physical activity.
Key Provisions
1) Recess Mandate (new Section 3A added to Chapter 71)
- Each public or charter school serving K–8 students must provide at least 30 consecutive minutes of supervised, safe, unstructured free-play recess per school day.
- Recess should be held outdoors whenever weather and air quality permit. If outdoors isn’t feasible due to weather or air quality, recess must be held indoors in an appropriate space that promotes physical activity.
- “Free-play recess” is defined as an unstructured environment supervised by school personnel.
2) Protections for Recess Time
- Schools cannot decrease the amount of time allocated for free-play recess as a result of changes in standards or curriculum.
- Recess cannot be withheld to provide academic or other services (including IEP, 504 plans, or other student-support services) such as completing ordinary classroom work.
- The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) shall not exclude recess from structured learning time requirements, nor shall it require more total instructional hours in the school year to meet this recess standard.
3) Flexibility for Schedule Changes
- Schools may provide less than 30 minutes of free-play recess on days with delayed openings, early dismissals, or other schedule changes that shorten the instructional day.
- The recess requirements do not apply to days with field trips.
Applicability and Implementation
- Applies to all public and charter schools serving students in grades K–8.
- The bill inserts new language immediately after existing Section 3 in Chapter 71, creating a firm statutory recess standard rather than a discretionary guideline.
- No explicit phase-in period is stated; obligations appear to be effective upon enactment (subject to passage and any final statutory drafting).
Impact and Stakeholders
- Affects students in public and charter K–8 programs (and the staff/administrators responsible for scheduling and supervision).
- Increases the emphasis on outdoor, unstructured physical activity during the school day.
- Requires schools to preserve recess time even when adding or adjusting curriculum or services, with limited exceptions for weather, air quality, and shortened days.
Notes
- The bill is labeled as a proposed measure in the 2025–2026 Massachusetts General Court, with House concurrence reported in the legislative actions.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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