Let’s hear it for recess. It’s a welcome break for students and teachers in our schools and it accomplishes a lot of other beneficial goals.

Yet the U.S. Department of Education says that 7 percent of American first- and second-graders do not have recess; the same is true of 13 percent of sixth-graders. These figures are fairly new and it appears some schools are sacrificing recess for such things as test preparation, according to an Associated Press story.

“Trading recess for more academics is a recipe for disaster,” declares an editorial in the Columbian in Clark County, Wash. “Elementary schools with no physical outlets run the risk of being riddled with discipline problems. Kids do better when physical activity breaks up learning time. Don’t we all perform at a higher level with a good break to move around? That’s why it’s great news that the overwhelming majority of elementary schools have recess every day for at least 25 minutes, with more schools offering two or three daily breaks for kids to play and be creative on their own.”

Again, let’s not forget how such relief can benefit teachers by alleviating, at least a little, the constant pressure for leadership and guidance.

Notes the Columbian: “With childhood obesity on the rise, the war on junk food raging and a good number of parents allowing kids to be couch potatoes, it’s unthinkable to many people that recess or physical education would be one of the daily rituals cut out of an elementary school’s schedule.”

Who are the “intellectuals” who think otherwise, and why are they in charge of our school systems?