TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A bill filed in the Florida House calls for mandatory middle school recess.
HB 1149, “Recess Requirements for Middle School Students,“ was filed on Wednesday by Rep. Paula Stark, R-St. Cloud.
Stark seeks to amend a provision of HB 7069, a multifaceted education bill signed in 2017 by then-Gov. Rick Scott which in small part mandated 100 minutes of free-play recess each week for public-school students in kindergarten through grade 5.
Stark’s one-page bill would simply amend that statute, replacing the “5″ with an “8.”
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
This follows how, after several years, some Florida lawmakers proposed ending the recess mandate altogether. Those lawmakers claimed that removing the mandate would give school districts more flexibility, but the reversal was ultimately removed from the bills it was to be part of after getting a negative reaction from the public.
Stark’s bill would go into effect on July 1, if approved.
[MORE POLITICS: Residency fight erupts in Apopka mayor’s race]
Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.