Massachusetts Bill: SD 346

Bill Summary

Now known as SB417, this bill adds a new Section 3A to Chapter 71 to require that all public and charter school students in grades K–8 receive at least 30 consecutive minutes of supervised, safe, free‑play recess every school day, held outdoors when weather and air quality permit, or in an indoor space that still promotes physical activity. “Free‑play recess” is defined as unstructured time supervised by school staff, and the law bars schools from cutting recess time because of curriculum or standards changes or from withholding recess to provide academic services, IEP/504 support, or to complete classroom work; it also requires DESE to treat recess as structured learning time without increasing total required school hours, with limited flexibility for shortened days and field trips.

Why It Matters to the Make America Healthy Again Movement

The MAHA Movement supports this bill because it guarantees a daily block of unstructured movement and social play for all K–8 students and protects that time from being traded away for test prep, pull‑outs, or punishment, matching MAHA’s belief that recess is a core health intervention rather than a reward. By defining free‑play recess in statute, counting it as learning time, and preventing districts from shrinking it as standards change, the bill pushes Massachusetts schools toward a MAHA‑style model where regular physical activity, outdoor time, and peer interaction are built into every day.