DBS CODE:  6142.61

Instruction

Physical Activity

The Board believes every student shall develop the knowledge and skills necessary to perform a variety of physical activities, maintain physical fitness, regularly participate in physical activity, understand the short and long-term benefits of physical activity, and value and enjoy physical activity as an ongoing part of a healthful lifestyle. In addition, staff is encouraged to participate in and model physical activity as a valuable part of daily life.

District schools have a responsibility to help students and staff establish and maintain lifelong habits of being physically active. Regular physical activity is one of the most important things people can do to maintain and improve their physical health, mental health, and overall well-being.

Recess

The Board requires that each student in elementary school shall have not less than twenty minutes daily in total devoted to physical exercise, except that a Planning and Placement Team may alter such schedule for a child requiring special education and related services. School authorities shall develop schedules that provide time within every school day for preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school students to enjoy supervised recess. Recess shall complement, not substitute for, physical education classes.

Loss of Recess as a Disciplinary Consequence

School employees may not prevent a student in elementary school from participating in the entire time devoted to physical exercise or undirected play in the regular school day as a form of discipline.  Loss of recess or other physically active learning opportunities as a form of discipline may be permitted on a case-by-case basis if approved in writing by the building administration prior to the imposition of the discipline.  Such approval may be granted for safety reasons, as a last resort before in-school-suspension, or in extraordinary situations when alternative strategies to address student misconduct have been ineffective.

Any employee who fails to comply with this policy will be subject to discipline, up to and including termination of employment.  Any contracted individual who provides services to or on behalf of the District students and who fails to comply with the requirement of this policy may be subject to having his/her contract for services suspended by the District.

Physical Activity and Discipline

School employees (teacher, substitute teacher, administrator, superintendent, guidance counselor, psychologist, social worker, nurse, physician, paraprofessional, coach, or any other individual working in a District school, who in the performance of his/her duties has regular contact with students and provides services to or on behalf of students enrolled in a District school, pursuant to a contract with the Board of Education) shall not deny a student's participation in the entire time devoted to physical exercise in the regular school day as a form of discipline or punishment, nor should they cancel it for instructional makeup time. In addition, any student in kindergarten through grade twelve shall not be required to engage in physical activity as a form of discipline.

(cf. 6142.10 - Health Education Program)

Legal Reference:  Connecticut General Statutes

10-16b Prescribed courses of study.

10-220 Duties of boards of education.

10-221o Lunch periods. Recess. (as amended by P.A. 12-116, An Act Concerning Educational Reform, P.A. 13-173, An Act Concerning Childhood Obesity and Physical Exercise in Schools and P.A. 19-173 An Act Concerning the Improvement of Child Development Through Play)

PA. 06-44 An Act Promoting the Physical Health Needs of Students

Adopted:  September 9, 2013

Revised: November 25, 2019