MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – A proposal at the state Capitol would require Wisconsin schools to increase daily recess time for students in kindergarten through sixth grade, with supporters saying more opportunities for unstructured play could improve focus, behavior and overall well-being.

Assembly Bill 810 would require public schools to provide 60 minutes of recess each school day for K-6 students, doubling the amount many schools currently offer. The bill has been referred to the Legislature’s education committee.

The bill’s author, State Rep. William Penterman of Hustisford, said the proposal is based on research showing physical activity supports learning and child development.

“Especially younger kids, like our elementary kids, it’s so important that they get moving throughout the day,” Penterman said. “We’re trying to get our kids to learn and develop mentally, emotionally, but also physically.”

Penterman emphasized the bill is not intended to extend the school day or reduce instructional time. Instead, he said schools could restructure existing schedules to include more frequent movement breaks.

“We’re not looking to expand the school day. Absolutely not,” Penterman said. “It’s already set. We’re going to leave it at that. It’s about increasing efficiencies.”

The proposal would give schools flexibility in how the time is scheduled, allowing recess to be broken into multiple shorter periods throughout the day.

“But 60 minutes of play a day — it could be three 20-minute recesses. It could be two 30-minute recesses,” Penterman said.

Parents in the Madison Metropolitan School District say concerns about limited recess became apparent once their children came home from school.

“I saw that we only had 30 minutes of recess at our school, and I felt like that wasn’t enough,” said Victoria Carey, a parent with a child in elementary school.

Carey said she initially assumed recess policies were determined by individual schools or districts, but later learned minimum requirements are set at the state level.

“So I looked into — is that our school’s policy? Is that our district’s policy?” Carey said. “And then I realized that it wasn’t either of those. Really, it was the state.”

Ally Grigg, another MMSD parent and former teacher, said a lack of movement during the school day can lead to challenges with emotional regulation and behavior at home.

“If that need is not being met at school, they come home, and my experience is my child frequently has meltdowns as soon as she gets home,” Grigg said. “A lot of times they have a lot of energy and they’re bouncing off the walls because they didn’t get that out during the day.”

Grigg and Carey are part of a parent-led advocacy effort ‘Say Yes to Recess’, pushing for increased recess time statewide. They say their goal is not to burden teachers or administrators, but to recognize play as a meaningful part of the learning process.

“They are great tinkerers, little scientists, as they’re referred to often,” Carey said. “And they do that through play. I think recess is a great opportunity for play to practice what they’re learning in the classroom and with each other.”

Carey said parents they’ve spoken with, including some educators, often share similar concerns, even if there are questions about how additional recess would fit into already packed schedules.

“Most of the reaction is very positive,” Carey said. “Everybody agrees that kids need recess. It’s really about finding the balance between instructional time and what kids need developmentally.”

Penterman said the bill was shaped after an earlier proposal focused on increasing overall physical activity faced pushback over concerns about unfunded mandates.

“So we kind of revamped it and looked at it,” he said. “What’s something we already have existing in place now that we can just expand?”

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction said it is in the process of analyzing the legislation and does not yet have an official position.

The bill is still early in the legislative process. Penterman said he hopes the proposal encourages broader discussion about how schools balance academic demands with students’ physical and mental health.

“Play is the work of a child,” Penterman said, quoting educator Maria Montessori. “And it’s so important to their development.”

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MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Health Services on Thursday reaffirmed its recommended childhood vaccine schedule after recent changes at the federal level.

Wisconsin vaccine guidance

Local perspective:

On Monday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control announced changes to its childhood vaccine schedule. The DHS said those modifications further stray “from alignment with America’s leading medical associations and organizations.”

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At this time, the DHS said it is not making changes to its vaccine recommendations – including no changes to Wisconsin’s school or child care vaccine recommendations.

The DHS said it continues to endorse the American Academy of Pediatrics schedule and has issued guidance to Wisconsin health care providers reaffirming that recommendation.

What they’re saying:

“The CDC’s new recommendations were based on a brief review of other countries’ practices and not based on data or evidence regarding disease risks to children in the United States,” DHS Secretary Kirsten Johnson said in a statement. “This upends our longstanding, evidence-based approach of protecting our children from the viruses that pose a risk in our country.

“Copying another country’s schedule without its health and social infrastructure will not produce the same health outcomes. It creates chaos and confusion and risks the health of Wisconsin’s youngest and most vulnerable citizens.”

Big picture view:

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said the CDC will continue to recommend that all children are immunized against 10 diseases for which there is international consensus, as well as chickenpox.

The updated schedule is in contrast to the CDC child and adolescent schedule at the end of 2024, which recommended 17 immunizations for all children. On the new schedule, vaccines – such as those for hepatitis A and B, meningitis, rotavirus and seasonal flu – are now more restricted. They are recommended only for those at high risk or after consultation with a health care provider. 

What they’re saying:

“President Trump directed us to examine how other developed nations protect their children and to take action if they are doing better,” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said. “After an exhaustive review of the evidence, we are aligning the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule with international consensus while strengthening transparency and informed consent. This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health.”

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin man accused of killing his parents and stealing their money to fund a plan to assassinate President Donald Trump is set to enter a plea deal resolving the case Thursday.

Nikita Casap, 18, is expected to agree to the deal during a morning hearing in Waukesha County Circuit Court in suburban Milwaukee. He goes into the hearing facing multiple charges, including two homicide counts, two counts of hiding a corpse and theft, with a trial scheduled to begin March 2.

Online court records did not list the terms of the plea agreement. Harm Venhuizen, a spokesperson for the state public defender’s office, which is representing Casap, said state Supreme Court ethics rules prevent the office from commenting on cases. The Waukesha County District Attorney’s Office did not respond to questions about the deal.

According to a criminal complaint, investigators believe Casap shot his mother, Tatiana Casap, and his stepfather, Donald Mayer, at their home in the village of Waukesha on or around Feb. 11.

He lived with the decomposing bodies for weeks before fleeing across the country in his stepfather’s SUV with $14,000 in cash, jewelry, passports, his stepfather’s gun and the family dog, according to the complaint. He was eventually arrested during a traffic stop in Kansas on Feb. 28.

Federal authorities have accused Casap of planning his parents’ murders, buying a drone and explosives and sharing his plans with others, including a Russian speaker. They said in a federal search warrant that he wrote a manifest calling for Trump’s assassination and was in touch with others about his plan to kill Trump and overthrow the U.S. government.

“The killing of his parents appeared to be an effort to obtain the financial means and autonomy necessary to carrying out his plan,” that warrant said.

Detectives found several messages on Casap’s cellphone from January 2025 in which Casap asks how long he will have to hide before he is moved to Ukraine. An unknown individual responded in Russian, the complaint said, but the document doesn’t say what that person told Casap. In another message Casap asks: “So while in Ukraine, I’ll be able to live a normal life? Even if it’s found out I did it?”