Nancy Kern reports for Columbia-Greene Media that unstructured time is being replaced by study halls and focused lessons on 2023-24 Cairo-Durham middle and high school schedules. In a letter to parents, middle school principal Danielle Czech, high school principal Catherine Dodig, and middle school/high school assistant principal Evan Klauber said, “In the upcoming 2023- 2024 school year we are implementing a refined schedule to optimize the learning experience for our students. One of the key adjustments involves the modification of lunch and recess periods. Specifically, we have transitioned from the previous 42-minute lunch and recess sessions to 20-minute lunch breaks. This deliberate reduction in lunch and recess duration has been undertaken with the primary objective of facilitating enhanced instructional opportunities throughout the day. By reallocating time from these periods, we are able to introduce structured study halls and focused lessons, all of which will be conducted under the expert guidance of our certified staff.” Al Marlin, a spokesperson for the New York State School Boards Association, said as there is no law mandating recess at schools, saying, “There are hundreds of public school districts across the state. It’s left to each school district to determine how much recess is to be provided to students. We feel the school districts in each part of the state will make sure there’s enough time for their students. It’s a decision made at the local level, not the state level.” State Senator James Skoufis has introduced a bill that would require all elementary schools to provide recess. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.