To the Editor:

To parents and community members of Norwood-Norfolk Central School District:

We are writing to inform you of plans to eliminate outdoor recess/monitors for elementary students this fall. After speaking with parents in the district, it was apparent to us many residents had not been informed about this.

We were told by an administrator that only a few of us have voiced concern over this matter and the cut still remains. We strongly recommend that others who have concerns about this should voice their opinion to the board of education and administration.

A major concern we have is that the administration and board cannot guarantee elementary students will get consistent outdoor recess next year. The board cut all three playground monitors at a cost of approximately $18,000.

Our understanding is that instead of children going out on the playground after lunch, students will be held in the cafeteria for the full 40 minutes. Presently, students have 20 minutes for lunch and 20 minutes of outdoor recess.

What will the students be doing for this 40-minute period? If the school can find the supervision and money to keep students in the cafeteria for 20 minutes, why aren’t they instead going out on the playground where they can be physically active?

We asked the superintendent’s office on May 25 to give us the true savings using the cafeteria for recess. She said she did not have these figures and would have them this summer. I stated the administration made a decision to cut outdoor recess/monitors without an alternative plan. I also said this is not a monetary issue, but a decision made by the administrators. She did not deny this.

No plan for “indoor recess” has been put in place. All we have heard is that the teachers will do it, even though their contract states “Playground supervision will be provided in the Norwood-Norfolk Elementary School during the lunch period so that bargaining unit members in this building shall not be required to perform this duty.”

Some teachers may agree to bring their students out, but others may not. What happens to those children? Cutting recess monitors is really cutting a program for elementary students since there is no guarantee ALL students will go out daily as in the past. We strongly urge the BOE to honor the teachers’ contract just ratified by both sides.

Here are important facts to consider:

• It seems that $18,000 to pay playground aides to ensure all kindergarteners through sixth graders get outdoor recess is a small price to pay considering a budget over $19 million and a fund balance over $4 million. Fund balances are extremely important to have in reserve, especially right now in a budget crisis. However $18,000 for three monitors should never be the target of cuts, especially when it affects over 500 students and ensures every student the opportunity of daily outdoor recess.

• Teachers just settled their contract with a 10% contribution for health insurance. Won’t this bring substantial savings to the district?

• Will lunch times have to be adjusted and started earlier next fall due to the addition of students staying in the cafeteria instead of going out on the playground? We feel it is going to cost just as much to hold kids longer in the cafeteria as it would to reinstate the playground monitors.

• Suggestions were made by community and staff members on how to save the outdoor recess/monitors. However, the cuts are still being made. When doing long-range planning for programs and future cuts which we were told the BOE is doing now, shouldn’t it involve faculty/staff members for ideas/suggestions?

• If this truly was a monetary crisis, it would seem a school system would look at cutting programs that affect the least amount of students. Outdoor recess affects over 500 students daily. Never before in the last 35 years or so at NNCS have outdoor recess monitors been targeted for a cut. Thousands of dollars have been spent to build and add to a playground for this purpose. Local civic groups have also donated much money for playground equipment.

•  Written discipline referrals for September 2010 through March 2011 are higher for the cafeteria (103 referrals) than for the playground (39 referrals). If the playground monitors are cut, we are assuming children are going to be held in the cafeteria longer. Is this really wise to put our children in an overcrowded situation?

• If teachers desire to take their students to the playground outside of their contractual lunchtime, they must do this during instructional time and students will lose out academically. At about 20 minutes each day for a year, it equates to approximately 60 hours a school year or 10 days. Each teacher will be losing about 10 instructional days to provide outdoor recess for his/her students.

• Numerous research articles show the positive effects of recess (physical activity) not only on children’s’ physical and social growth, but their educational growth as well.

• NNCS does not meet the NYS physical education time requirement.

With obesity on the rise and other future health issues, is it wise to take away the opportunity for students to get daily exercise on the playground?

We strongly urge NNCS residents to contact the administration and BOE to voice their concern that cutting outdoor recess/monitors is not in the best interest of our children.

We also urge you to attend the Board Meeting June 21 when the cuts will be finalized. Our children need us to fight for them. Even prisoners are guaranteed free time outside each day.

Concerned NNCS retirees/grandparents,

William and Mary Grant

Norwood