New recess law bans rainy-day movies
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Whenever it rains, many San Diego students spend recess inside watching a movie, but that could actually be against the law.
Why it matters: A new state law that went into effect last year has a strict definition of what's considered recess, and sitting to watch a movie doesn't count, Josh Newman, the former state senator who wrote the law, told Axios.
- And while a rainy day recess flick carries no legal consequence for breaking that law, it's prompting debate about how San Diego kids spend their free time.
The other side: San Diego Unified doesn't see it like Newman does.
- James Canning, a district spokesperson, told Axios that watching a movie does follow the law because it promotes "social engagement with their peers."
Catch up quick: SB 291 aims to protect recess by guaranteeing elementary school students get 30 minutes every day, defining what recess is and ensuring that recess can't be taken away as a punishment.
- That's "supervised and unstructured time for physical activity, play, organized games, and social engagement with peers," according to the law.
What they're saying: Unstructured play is the key, as it helps kids learn how to get along without grown-ups, Newman told Axios.
- "Coming up with a game, coming up with rules for a game, figuring out who's in charge of those rules, how to settle disputes, those things seem so minor and innocuous, but they're actually really important as kids develop a sense of the world and how they can affect it," Newman said.
Friction point: San Diego Unified officials declined to be interviewed for this story, but Canning told Axios in an email that schools have "rainy day" and "heat day" plans that can be used as needed.
- "Nothing in statute would prohibit showing a movie as long it was [sic] done in a way that cultivated 'social engagement with peers,'" he wrote.
Yes, but: Kids sitting and watching a screen is "actually the opposite of the intent" of the law, Newman said.
- Instead, he suggests schools let kids play in an auditorium or cafeteria when it rains.
- "It should look like supervised chaos in that space with kids doing their own thing, trying to figure out ways to interact, entertain each other and not suppressed in that way, not sitting, not organized," he said.
What's next: The law doesn't include any penalties for schools that don't follow it, Newman said.
- But he hopes there could be a complaint system in the future, and that parents reach out to their kids' principals or the school district if they have concerns.