Seattle Public Schools students don’t get enough time to eat lunch, according to a group of parents. Dozens in a group calling itself “Lunch and Recess Matter” rallied at the Seattle School Board meeting Wednesday.
District policy says students should get 20 minutes to sit down and eat lunch. But parent Deb Escher says parents have found students at one elementary school often have six minutes to sit and eat, though they do have the option to keep eating during recess.
“Many kids have to [keep eating during recess] because 6 minutes clearly isn’t enough to eat. But we’re also not very happy about the fact that kids are having to miss recess in order to get a healthy amount of lunch time,” Escher said.
The group also notes the district has no formal policy on recess, as Tacoma Public Schools has. A spokesperson says Seattle Public Schools has already convened an 18-month wellness task force to look into the issue. The district is also reviewing whether students get enough time to walk to and from lunch, or whether that’s coming out of time where they should be seated and eating.
