When schools reopen, don’t neglect recess

When schools reopen in the fall, students and adults will return carrying stress and trauma arising from the sudden school closings, the social isolation, and the illness and unrest that many experienced over the summer. Rebecca London urges elementary school leaders to attend to students’ mental health and emotional needs by offering recess time every day. The need for play will be especially great among students of color and students in low-income areas, many of whom had insufficient recess time in school before the pandemic.