Too hot to play tag? Florida schools can comply with the state's new recess mandate without having to take children outside.
The Florida Department of Education on Friday told school superintendents that there's nothing in a new state law that dictates where exactly school recess must take place.
State legislators earlier this year passed a law that requires elementary schools to set aside 20 minutes each day for "free-play recess" although charter schools were exempted. For the past two years mothers of school children pushed for recess, saying children need a break from schoolwork.
Department officials sent a memo to superintendents asking them to report to the state by Sept. 1 whether or not they are complying with the new mandate.
That memo also urged districts to establish weather guidelines to ensure student safety.