- Target:
- Cobb county school board
- Region:
- United States of America
Middle school students in Cobb County are currently expected to attend up to 5 hours of academic instruction daily without any guaranteed recess or unstructured break time. While Georgia state law mandates daily recess for students in grades K–5, there is no requirement for grades 6–8, leaving middle schoolers without essential time to rest and reset.
This lack of daily break time is deeply concerning. Adolescents are still developing emotionally, socially, and neurologically. Scientific research consistently shows that even a 15-minute unstructured break can significantly improve:
• Focus and attention
• Emotional regulation
• Classroom behavior
• Stress management
• Social skills
• Overall academic performance
Without recess, students often experience burnout, overstimulation, and mental fatigue—leading to increased disciplinary issues and reduced engagement in learning.
Cobb County’s current approach, which treats lunch or brief class transitions as “enough” break time, ignores child development science and fails to support students’ mental and emotional needs. Celebrations or occasional parties are not a substitute for daily recess.
We believe middle schoolers deserve a break—just like younger students—and that the district has a responsibility to create a healthier, more balanced school day.
We, the undersigned, call on the Cobb County School District to implement a daily recess or unstructured break period for all middle school students (grades 6–8).
Our children deserve time during the school day to rest, reset, and recharge—just like younger students. We urge the district to prioritize student well-being by ensuring at least 15 minutes of daily break time that is separate from lunch and transitions
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The 5 hours of class 0 breaks! That must change petition to Cobb county school board was written by Diane Henry and is in the category Children's Rights at GoPetition.