Wichita ? Until recently, moving up to middle school meant saying goodbye to a cherished school-day respite: recess. “It doesn’t seem normal to have recess in middle school,” said 12-year-old Andrea Gomez, a seventh-grader at Truesdell Middle School, as she enjoyed the sunshine.

“I guess they think we’re all grown-up and stuff. … But I like it. I get to walk around and talk with my friends.”

Little by little, recess appears to be making a comeback at Wichita middle schools, driven primarily by principals who see the benefit of fresh air and free time for young adolescents.

“Even prisoners get yard time,” said Jennifer Sinclair, Truesdell’s new principal, who reinstated lunchtime recess at the school this fall.

What once was a common part of the school day is being reduced or eliminated in many parts of the country, as schools deal with increased academic standards.

A recent survey by the American Association for the Child’s Right to Play estimated that 40 percent of elementary schools have eliminated or cut back on recess over the past decade.

Free play is even more rare in middle schools, where complicated schedules, staffing challenges, a lack of outdoor play space and concerns about violence and bullying have prompted some administrators to do away with recess.

“I think it’s more a matter of logistics,” said Kathy Busch, Wichita’s assistant superintendent of middle schools. “It’s certainly good for the kids to have some kind of activity during the day. But sometimes the schedules don’t allow it, or supervision is a concern.”

Kansas student wellness guidelines encourage at least 20 minutes a day of recess for elementary students, and point out that two 15-minute breaks are even better.

But “for middle school students, there are no policies in place,” said Mark Thompson, project director for Kansas Coordinated School Health, a division of the Kansas State Department of Education.

That may be changing, though. “From my perspective, there’s really only one way for middle schools to go, and that is to increase recess time,” Thompson said.