California will require 30 minute recess for all grades through 8th

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KION-TV)- Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 291 into law, requiring all schools from grades Kindergarten through 8th to offer a mandatory half-hour recess to their students.

“As California finally emerges from the pandemic and its impacts, we are seeing some of the lingering effects on children’s social-emotional development play out in the form of behavioral disruptions which have become increasingly prevalent in classrooms,” said bill author Senator Josh Newman (D-Fullerton). 

The new law also prohibits educators from withholding recess as a form of punishment.

On early dismissal days, the bill says schools must provide at least a 15 minute recess.