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Recess Requirement Moves Forward

The push to bring back recess to the state's public schools got another boost Tuesday. A bill that would require 20 minutes of recess every day for elementary school students passed its second House committee.

Several mothers -- who called themselves "recess moms" --  grew clearly emotional when speaking in favor of the bill. Amy Narvaez, a parent of students in Orange County, told the committee that she became a "recess mom" in October of 2014, when her youngest daughter  started kindergarten.

"She was receiving ten minutes of recess, twice a week," said Narvaez. "She was five years old. She was coming home tired and complaining about school being too long. She was being asked to sit still for six and half hours a day."

Representatives from several school districts spoke against the bill, saying the decision about  how much and whether to offer recess should remain local. A companion bill in the state Senate has not yet been heard.

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Robin is Senior Editor at WUSF, spearheading the station's podcasting initiatives and helping to guide the vision for special reporting projects and creative storytelling. She hosts the weekly current affairs program, Florida Matters, on WUSF and also created The Zest, the station's podcast that's all about food, which she continues to host and serve as senior producer.
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