I posted the following in the comments to the article you linked to above, but it captures my thoughts about this argument.

"Uhh, why can't children have "recess" before or after school? Maybe like...at home??? Imagine a community where parents partner with schools to set limits and provide additional opportunities outside of the school day rather than rely on the school to provide for EVERY SINGLE need of EVERY SINGLE family. Wouldn't that be lovely?"

Perhaps the recess detractors don't understand what recess is: it's not an additional "program" to supplement activities, it's not a class, it doesn't depend upon an outlay of cash for resources. It's quite simply an opportunity for a developing brain to decompress. Even adults in the most stringent workplaces are allowed the 3pm "15 minute smoke-break" or power nap. Any cognitive specialist (or mom) would agree that our childrens' brains simply aren't hardwired for the length of a structured day that we are imposing on them. If the school can't integrate a way for the students to run around a playground, then maybe they should think outside the box, with simple in-class stretching, or yoga to achieve the same goal.

It sounds like the Roland Park administrators are trying to figure out how best to "structure" the kids' downtime.

They clearly don't get the concept.

Hi. I am a student from Towson University in Baltimore. I am currently taking a class on urban schools and lately we have been talking about playgrounds and the influence it they on students in schools. When students don't have something that can relieve stress, and energize them on a 6 hour 5 day a week schedule they are not as attentive in classrooms. They also tend to be more juvenile in the classroom. These parents that are asking for some form of recreational activity have the right idea. School systems should allow something to the students so that school is not only a learning institution, but a place to make friends and socialize. I agree with the teacher from Rochester on that the middle school students are not fully socially developed adults. The students intention spans may also not be fully developed and therefore need something to energize them. This relates to my class at college which is why I chose to comment on it. Our class talks about the history of urban schools and how they have changed. We briefly discussed how schools with playgrounds are better than “learning institutions” because they raised student’s attentiveness and helped them focus in the classroom better. Even adults need a recess of their own at work. Some use it for a smoke break and others use it for just relaxing. Whatever it may be, it still helps refresh themselves so that they can get through the rest of the day. I am very interested in this article because I was always curious if having playtime during school actually increased the student’s grades (at least from a psychological view.) I am a very active person and having a break in school to play for fifteen minutes always helped me refresh my mind for the second half of school that day. I believe that ALL schools should have playgrounds for their students so that their minds stay fresh, they can build social skills, and they have something exciting to look forward to every day.