PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia teachers can no longer withhold recess or bathroom breaks as discipline under a revised school district policy.
The school board adopted the new wellness policy on Thursday, marking a victory for the grassroots parents group Lift Every Voice, which fought for 18 months to codify the policy change.
“We worked really hard to make sure that the children were able to go to school with dignity,” said Jamila Carter, a district parent and a member of the group’s steering committee. “We want our children to be happy in school. Without being able to go to the bathroom or move their bodies — just those basic, basic things — they will not perform.”
The revised policy guarantees “reasonable” bathroom breaks for students and prohibits school staff from disciplining students by taking away drinking water and bathroom breaks.
“We were hearing stories about things like recess being held back as a punishment,” Carter told KYW Newsradio. “Silent lunches, where children weren’t able to do what is developmentally appropriate and socialize during lunch.”
The policy also requires that elementary students be given movement breaks for every 90 minutes of seat time. Superintendent Tony Watlington said he understood the need for physical breaks. “I remember as a kid myself needing that time to get out of the classroom and have a break and wiggle my fingers and stretch,” Watlington said on KYW’s “After School” podcast.
“It took a little bit longer than probably it should,” Watlington said of the time it took to change the wellness policy. “We took the time to listen to Lift Every Voice. We took the time to spend time meeting with my Student Advisory Council, my Teacher Advisory Council, my Principal Advisory Council.”
“Of all the things we do in Philadelphia, this is one we absolutely got right,” Watlington said.
Featured Image Photo Credit: Mike DeNardo/KYW Newsradio