Kimberly Simpkiss, of Monson, said the children are "tired, hungry and antsy at the end of the day" now that the changes have been implemented.
MONSON - A mother of two children at Quarry Hill Community School addressed the School Committee about changes to lunch, recess and physical education that went into effect this school year.
Kimberly A. Simpkiss, whose children are in the first and fourth grades, told the School Committee at its meeting last week that the 45 minute block for lunch and recess has been reduced to 35 minutes, with 20 minutes for lunch, followed by 15 minutes for recess.
Before, students had 30 minutes for lunch, whereas recess was 15 minutes, and held at a different time of day. She is asking that the 10 minutes taken away from lunch be restored.
"The length of time is not appropriate," she said in a follow-up interview.
With the schedule changes, she said students also will go six weeks before they have physical education.
"It's a really long period to have no physical education," Simpkiss said.
She said her children have complained, and she was one of many parents who attended a Parent Teacher Student Association at the school on Sept. 11 which featured a presentation by Principal Paula S. Fitzgerald about the changes.
Simpkiss told the School Committee that she is concerned that children are eating too fast so they can get outside for recess. Through her research, she said she found that other local schools which tried similar initiatives found that behavior deteriorated due to the condensed time. She suggested that perhaps recess should be held before lunch.
Regarding the lack of physical education for six weeks, Simpkiss said, "With obesity on an epidemic rise, we feel a shorter recess and lunch and a lack of physical education for such long blocks of time really isn't healthy for our kids . . . They need to blow off steam so they can focus better."
Her comments were taken under advisement.
Fitzgerald, through her presentation, showed parents that every elementary school student is instructed to receive a minimum of 900 hours structured learning time; that does not include breakfast and lunch, recess, or passing between classes. The schedule changes mean that students will have more physical education than before.
Last year, students had 60 hours of gym time, while this year they are projected to have 88 hours, she said.
Fitzgerald said later that she is considering "flipping" recess and lunch. She said the changes were made this year to create uninterrupted instructional blocks of time for students, and to reduce transition times.
She said that physical education is being rotated with other "specials," such as art, library and enrichment, all of which will be held for two week periods. She said the two week rotation will give instructors "the opportunity to begin and end a meaningful project."
Simpkiss said she will be writing a follow-up letter to the School Committee. She said the children are "tired, hungry and antsy at the end of the day" now that the changes have been implemented.
"We really want what's best for our kids," Simpkiss said.