A proposal to place recess in middle school is dead after a bill was stalled in the Florida Legislature.

HB 1149 was introduced by Rep. Paula Stark of District 47 which includes part of Orange County and Osceola County. It was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Kristen Arrington, who represents the same area as Stark.

In the House, the bill passed through a few committees and subcommittees before it had a first reading on the House floor. However, no final reading or vote was done to pass the bill into law.

Had the bill passed, it would have been an extension on a previous bill that mandated recess for students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

The law would have required 20 minutes of recess per day in all public middle schools in Florida.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recess provides students with a critical opportunity for physical activity and social interaction.

Recess has also been shown to improve behavior in the classroom and lead to a reduction of stress along with better performance on tests. It also can helps students learn conflict resolution and leadership skills.

Trojans had a mixed reaction to recess at JHop.

“I think recess would be a very fun idea because then students get a time to have fun, go outside, and take a break from classes,” eighth-grader Claire Lopez said.

Jacob Gould, an eighth grader, disagreed.

“Recess would be chaotic because some people would be crazy and it would be hard to control,” he said.

Principal Brittnee Scott said recess would decrease class time.

“Right now, we are at 48 minutes,” she said. “I don’t know if we can go down any further.”