Coats in the Cafeteria: Klager Recess Before Lunch Policy Scrutinized by Parent
On Friday, October 25th, Lori Preis visited her first grade daughter for lunch at Luther C. Klager Elementary. “I was surprised,” Ms. Preis later said in a petition she has since written for change.org.
Ms. Preis looked down the line of elementary students. All of the students, as they waited for their lunch, were carrying or wearing their coats and jackets. They had all just come in from recess, and they had come directly from the playground to the cafeteria without stopping off at their lockers. Ms. Preis’ daughter had her own coat haphazardly tied around her waist, and in Ms. Preis’ opinion she was overheated and burdened by the coat. The girl tripped over her coat, her tray fell, and the food was scattered across the floor.
Ms. Preis was upset.
This visit to the elementary school lunchroom 18 days ago erupted into controversy when Ms. Preis wrote a petition protesting the situation, posted that petition to Facebook, and garnered dozens of parent signatures in a matter of hours. At the time of this writing, 130 people have signed the petition. 402 students currently attend the school.
Jennifer Mayes, Principal of Klager Elementary, was approached by The Mirror for comment on the situation. She prepared a statement, which was immediately distributed to all Klager families via email. According to Mayes, the fact that students have their coats with them in the lunchroom is a result of a larger policy change that she believes is, on balance, better for the students than previous polices.
The current policy has recess BEFORE lunch for 1st through 4th graders. But the previous policy was to have recess AFTER lunch. It is this change in policy that has resulted in the coats coming to lunch with the students.
“When I first came to Klager six years ago,” Ms. Mayes wrote in her response, “20 minutes was allowed for lunch—just like this year and last year; however, in the past as many as eight classes arrived to the cafeteria at the exact same time resulting in students standing in line past Mrs. Shue's door and taking 10-15 minutes to be served—only to have many uneaten lunches going straight to the garbage bin when the noon supervisors announced that it was time to go to recess.”
Under the new policy, lunch periods have been staggered, reducing the number of students in the lunchroom at any one time. Also, recess has been placed BEFORE lunch, so that students will not spend the lunch time anticipating playtime. Instead, because they have just played, they can now focus on eating their lunch before returning to class.
But, because the goal all along was to increase the amount of time the students have in the lunchroom, the school decided to not have the students stop at their lockers after recess but before lunch. And thus, the students are in the lunch room with their coats.
Ms. Mayes reports that many schools that have structured a Recess Before Lunch policy have the students bring their coats into the cafeteria rather than stop at their lockers. There are two reasons, according to Mayes, for this:
First, the school believes this policy is safer. “We have found that eliminating this transition has improved our ability to supervise the students resulting in a significant decrease in discipline issues, including: bullying, items being stolen from lockers, and general mischief in the halls and bathrooms.“
Second, the children now focus only on playing, and then eating. “Admittedly we’d love to have more time for both recess and lunch,” Ms. Mayes concedes. “However, schools do have mandates on the amount of instructional time we must provide students. I am bound to abide by those rules. Having children stop by their lockers to remove coats would cut their already short 15 minute recess down to 10 minutes. I continue to advocate for as much play time as possible for our students. Klager kids need it.”
Ms. Mayes says she can be reached in her office, by phone, and by email.
The school board meets on November 18th at 6pm in the Ackerson Building, the PTO meets on November 26th at 6:30pm in the Klager Cafeteria
Full Text of Klager Statement:
Klager Families,
It has been brought to my attention that a petition is being circulated via email and Facebook regarding the "bring your coat to the lunchroom" policy. This is the second year we have instituted the Recess Before Lunch (RBL) practice—with the first year seeing great success.
The children do not have to wear their coats while eating. They may take their coat, hat, and mittens off while sitting at the table—much like you would do at a restaurant (or church or the theater or while shopping, etc.). It has always been this way. Additionally, keeping track of your belongings is a lifelong skill.
The petition also states that Klager is violating state and federal mandates on the time students should be seated for lunch. We have contacted the Michigan Department of Education, and there are no regulations for this.
We have made tremendous improvements over the years to our recess and cafeteria procedures. When I first came to Klager six years ago, 20 minutes was allowed for lunch—just like this year and last year; however, in the past as many as eight classes arrived to the cafeteria at the exact same time resulting in students standing in line past Mrs. Shue's door and taking 10-15 minutes to be served—only to have many uneaten lunches going straight to the garbage bin when the noonsupervisors announced that it was time to go to recess.
In my research on recess before lunch, many schools had students bring their winter gear to the cafeteria. In fact, other schools in the area, including Manchester Middle School, also do this even though their students eat first and then play. It is not a new practice nor is it uncommon.
A tremendous amount of thought and research went into this decision prior to the 2012-2013 school year. While bringing a coat to the cafeteria may not be deemed as "convenient" by some, the advantages of not stopping by the lockers actually benefit your child in several ways:
- It is safer. We have found that eliminating this transition has improved our ability to supervise the students resulting in a significant decrease in discipline issues, including: bullying, items being stolen from lockers, and general mischief in the halls and bathrooms.
- It maximizes the time children have to play and eat. Admittedly we’d love to have more time for both recess and lunch. However, schools do have mandates on the amount of instructional time we must provide students. I am bound to abide by those rules. Having children stop by their lockers to remove coats would cut their already short 15 minute recess down to 10 minutes. I continue to advocate for as much play time as possible for our students. Klager kids need it.
I’ve also included below just a few benefits of recess before lunch (founded in research and confirmed by our own observations):
- Improved student behavior on the playground and in the cafeteria– Klager noon supervisors
- Fewer accidents during the lunch break – Klager office staff
- Students are more relaxed and focused on eating rather than thinking about getting outside to play – Klager noon supervisors
- More food eaten; increased fluid intake - Klager cafeteria staff
- Less food waste – Klager maintenance staff
- Students return to the classroom more quickly and are settled and ready to learn - Klager classroom teachers
- Fewer stomach cramps from running, swinging, and spinning than when students ate first then played – Klager students
I encourage you, as a parent, if you have a concern about our practices to follow the protocols established by the district and recently published in the November edition of Klager Kids. I am available by phone, email, or appointment to speak with you regarding the matter.
Respectfully,
Jennifer Mayes
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