New Bills Could Have Big Impact On New Jersey Students
TRENTON (CBS) -- A New Jersey senator is co-sponsoring a pair of bills that would effect some of the state's youngest students.
One would require all schools to provide full-day kindergarten, while the other would make recess periods a requirement through the fifth-grade.
Both bills have previously made it to the governor's desk, however. they were vetoed by then-Gov. Chris Christie.
Sen. Shirley Turner says the required recess bill is vital to students in terms of creating emotional and social bonds, and that it also helps them get exercise that too many skip out on.
She says the benefits also extend into the classroom.
"When children have the opportunity to work off their excess energy, they're better able to attend in the classroom, and be able to comprehend and focus," said Turner.
As for the full-day kindergarten, Turner says it's something that is already offered in 80 percent of New Jersey schools. She feels it would help many of the state's parents who need to work full-time, but she adds that it would be up to the governor to find the funding to make it a reality.
