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Connections

The right to recess

Three smiling people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a woman back left has long curly red hair and is wearing a multi-colored shirt; a man back center has short brown hair and a brown mustache and beard and is wearing a grey sweater; a woman at right has long brown hair and is wearing glasses, a grey dress, and a grey blazer
Mary Hussong-Kallen
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WXXI News
Sharon Peck and Mike Bulger with guest host Noelle Evans on "Connections" on Friday, May 23, 2025
A smiling woman with chest-length brown hair smiles. She is wearing a black top.
John Schlia
/
WXXI News
Noelle Evans

Local advocates with the Healthi Kids Coalition and Common Ground Health recently traveled to Albany to support a state bill that would study and expand access to daily recess.

While Rochester schools require 20 minutes of recess for K–6 students, enforcement varies — and access to play is often shaped by race, income, and neighborhood. Experts and families say 20 minutes isn't enough, and that playful learning should extend from pre-K through 12th grade.

With the pandemic underscoring the need for movement and connection, guest host Noelle Evans asks: why is recess essential, and how can schools make it more equitable and effective?

Our guests:

Noelle E. C. Evans is WXXI's Murrow Award-winning Education reporter/producer.
Veronica Volk is a senior producer and editor for WXXI News.
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.