Collectively, we are writing with ongoing concerns about our students and the lunch/recess situation. We recognize that it is not easy to direct a room full of students. We applaud those who are willing to give of their time. However, the list of complaints below have been heard over many years and have remained unaddressed.
1. The children are told to sit during lunch and to not make any noise.
2. The children are told to sit at specific tables instead of being able to sit with their friends.
3. The children are told to sit during lunch with their winter gear on.
4. If the children are not following the rules, recess time is taken away.
5. If a handful of children are misbehaving, all the students are punished.
6. During recess, they are not allowed to use certain equipment or play certain games because Wasco is considered a 'safe playground'.
7. During indoor recess, they are told to sit at their desks and read or play games quietly.
8. Children are afraid to go through the lunch line because they have been yelled at and are worried about making a mistake.
9. Kids are sent to the principal's office for minor infractions and oftentimes without even having a discussion with the child about what had occurred.
Throughout the day, the kids are expected to sit quietly at their desks and participate in the lectures. They are not to converse with their friends. They are not to move around except when given permission. Gym has now become more of a health class than something for physical activity. Our kids then have one refuge in which to engage with each other and be a kid - lunch and recess.
There is a Washington Post article that quotes a report from the Institute of Medicine asserting that "children who are more active show greater attention, have faster cognitive processing speed, and perform better on standardized academic tests than children who are less active." We are confident that the majority of the research supports encouraging children being active – in and out of school. There is an August 1, 2018 article in Education Week that discusses the benefits of recess and interaction for children and their physical and mental health.
With this research in mind, the undersigned parents and guardians of Wasco Elementary School students are asking that a meeting be set up with Principal Stokke, the administration, and Aramark. We are looking for answers to the following questions:
· Why are we encouraging kids not to engage with each other or make noise during lunch?
· Why can't they sit with their friends and socialize?
· Why is the restriction of recess being used as a form of punishment?
· Why there is not a suitable indoor activity for the children to do during lunch so that their activity level remains high?
· Why are the children being sent to the principal's office as punishment and yet no information goes home to the parents of this step?
· What is 'safe playground' and why has it been instituted?
· How many supervisors should be present at lunch and recess?
We ask that you schedule a school wide meeting to address these issues as soon as possible.
