Sachem Says Lunch, Recess Haven't Been Cut; Parents Disagree

In response to parents claiming their children are receiving less time for lunch and recess, Sachem Superintendent Ken Graham sent a letter home on Monday, saying students are given 25 minutes for lunch and 20 for recess.

However, according to school schedules, some Sachem schools are receiving less.

In the letter, Graham said "lunch and recess have been combined into one block totaling 45 minutes (25 minutes for lunch and 20 minutes for recess) at ALL SCHOOLS."

Patch obtained three schedules that show a different breakdown.

According to the schedules, Waverly and Lynwood Elementary School students are given 20 minutes for lunch and 20 for recess. At Tamarac Elementary School, students are given 25 minutes for lunch and 15 for recess, according to the schedule. Lunch at Nokomis Elementary is 25 minutes this year, down from 30 last year.

Many parents have said the allocated time isn't enough for children.

"Twenty minutes is not enough for lunch," one parent said on Facebook. "Especially if they are buying! By the time they wait on line get their food and sit down they have about 5 minutes to scarf down what they can."

Another parent said her daughter didn't have enough time to finish her lunch.

"At Chippewa my first grade daughter only got to eat HALF her peanut butter sandwich before having to line up again. It’s not enough time for them at all," she said.

A Change.com petition calling for extended lunch and recess has more than 600 signatures.

By comparison, since 2016, students in the Patchogue-Medford School District get 40 minutes for lunch and 40 minutes for recess.

“A child’s experience is no longer fun within school, and so with bringing recess back, it’s one of the first steps to incorporate what we’re looking at as the whole child,” former Patchogue-Medford District Superintendent Michael Hynes told CBS.

According to the School Nutrition Association, median school lunch times have remained about the same since 2009—which is about 25 minutes for elementary students.

In 2013, an NPR poll found 1 in 7 said their child had 15 minutes or less to eat lunch.

In Pat-Med, residents say they are happy with the changes made to extend lunch and recess time.

"I think it’s great," one parent said. "We came from Sachem where my son only had 20 min each and since moving to Pat-Med, I see a big improvement in his social life and school work...it takes the kids at least 10 min to stand online and buy lunch which leaves them with 10 min to eat and that is ridiculous."

The full letter Superintendent Graham sent to Sachem parents Monday: