Req. No. 10338 Page 1 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
STATE OF OKLAHOMA
1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
HOUSE BILL 1493 By: Rosecrants
AS INTRODUCED
An Act relating to schools; creating the Growing
Minds, Active Kids Act; declaring legislative intent;
providing definitions; requiri ng school districts to
incorporate forty minutes of daily recess for certain
grades; encouraging thirty minutes of daily recess
for certain grades; establishing daily recess
requirements; specifying compliance for students with
disabilities; providing an e xemption; and declaring
an emergency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 11 -103.9c of Title 70, unless
there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
A. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Growing
Minds, Active Kids Act ".
B. It is the intention of the Oklahoma State Legislature
through this act to focus on daily recess as essential f or students
as it provides a necessary break from academic work, allowing
students to recharge both mentally and physically. Physical
activity during recess helps improve focus, reduce stress, and
Req. No. 10338 Page 2 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
support overall physical health. It also encourages socia l
interaction where children learn important skills like teamwork,
conflict resolution, and communication. By giving students adequate
time to play and unwind, recess fosters better behavior in the
classroom and enhances students ' ability to concentrate a nd learn
effectively.
C. As used in this section:
1. "Daily recess" means a scheduled break or breaks during the
school day that will allow students to engage in unstructured free
play or physical activity ;
2. "District board of education" means the governing board of
each school district in Oklahoma ; and
3. "Physical activity" means any bodily movement that uses
energy and is produced by skeletal muscles .
D. School districts shall incorporate physical activity into
the school day by providing at least forty (40) minutes for daily
recess to students in full -day prekindergarten, kindergarten, and
grades one through five. For grades six through eight, at least
thirty (30) minutes for daily recess is strongly recommended. Each
district board of education shall establish the timing of the daily
recess. The daily recess required by this subsection may be broken
up into segments that best fit the schedules of each school
district.
Req. No. 10338 Page 3 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
1. The daily recess provided for in this section shall be in
addition to the weekly sixty (60) minute physical education
requirements set forth in subsect ions B and C of Section 11-103.9 of
Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
2. The daily recess shall occur outside the school building
unless weather or other conditions require it to occur inside.
3. For students with disabilities, the daily recess shall
comply with the individualized education program (IEP) or Section
504 plan of the student.
4. Virtual charter schools shall be exempt from the
requirements of this section.
SECTION 2. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby
declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
be in full force from and after its passage and appr oval.
60-1-10338 SW 01/15/25