Yikes Metzy, I lived in Arizona for a while in past pre-mom life and I always thought I was going to hatch. If it weren't for the air conditioning and the pools, I don't know if I would have survived it. Happily, it was the thinnest I had ever been in my life! That is just too hot for the kids!
I wanted to add one more thing- we do have an air quality level.. If the air is at a certain level, students are required to stay in and cannot go outside for recess.
I like the idea of having a winter store house. Perhaps ask for a five minute "dressing" period on days like this from the Principal, so that the children have time to bundle up. If the cold weather does not last that long, then why would it be such a problem to keep them indoors then? Keep fighting!

Teachers here get thier breaks no matter if the kids are in or out anyway. It is the paras who watch the kids. I think the teachers have ONE recess duty a week and that would be a 15 minute one. We have two people for each grade recess. Something like 80 kids each. Too bad we don't get paid for babysitting that many kids. Like a per child per hour thing. I really don't think anyone in education is getting paid enough!
The weather is not that cold for very long. Maybe a very cold streak for a week or so and then it can get pretty nice again. SO the times it is below say 20 for more than a few days are few and far between. No one gets used to it. And the kids we see are not running around and staying warm. They are trying to find a place to get out of the wind. It is rarely NOT windy here. I have seen the kids crying and even with gloves on. Hats do not protect your face either. What about the bright red noses? Skin that is hurting. The number of days that this change of guidlines would effect, would be minimal. Most of the school year is not bad weather. There was probably a total of two weeks more that the kids would be in than there is now with the current guideline. By the afternoon recess they could probably go out for most of the year when it warms up later in the day. There may be more morning recesses that the kids would stay in for but the large majority of the time, the kids would go out. Not that much of a change when you look at the total amount of times for the whole school year. We are not asking that the kids stay indoors from Oct. till March. I have seen 70 degree days in January. I have seen 10 below days too though.
I believe the ones who make these decisions would think differently if they were the ones who stand out in the winter and see for themselves.
I also think the kids who do not get enough excersize at school do not get it at home either and choose to sit in front of the tv or computer. This would be another reason why I would like the gym to be open for the very cold days for them to be loud in, and run around too. I have to watch them no matter what room they are in. That would be so much better IMHO. We would just have less freezing kids standing around asking if it is time to go in yet.
I see by the number of replies so far that most of the schools around the U.S. stay in if it is below 32 degrees. Wonder why the schools are so differnet in some places. Why is it some people think 32 is frezing and some say 10. Hummmmmmm

Until/Unless they change the rules for outside play, you need to come up with some creative answers for keeping the tykes warmer.

At the end of the winter season, I go to the local thrift stores and buy up scarves, hats, mittens, etc. so that when friends and family come to visit me and it is too cool for them, they can wear stuff out of my 'winter basket'. If they return it, great. If not, it cost me a dime to keep them warm...lol... You might make a school donation site for winter cast offs. Shop the thrift stores during Spring and Summer.

Storing winter items might be an issue, but I don't think it will be as big an issue as the one you currently face.

The Devils Advocate (those who know me knew this was coming...lol...)

Again, I want to stress that it is the parents job to clothe them properly. The school is there to teach them, not clothe them. Tax dollars are for educating, not paying for student winter-wear. Teachers are not going to be willing to give up their breaks for the entire winter; look for that to be an issue too. I can't blame them either. They dressed their children properly, they dressed themselves properly; You can't blame them for wanting their proper break.

I also want to add that each area has its own issues. I live in northern Arizona and temperatures rise quickly, easily reaching 100-110 (even as high as 120) degrees as early as May and as late as October. Our school year ends in late May, but begins in early August, when temperatures are soaring. Our students are not allowed to wear tank tops or hats to school. Parents are encouraged to put sun screen on them before school and sent them with a bottle of water (which they refill through out the day). Is 110 degrees in the hot Arizona sun reason enough to stay indoors? No, because we get this every year. We expect it and the smart ones plan for it. Is 20 degrees too cold to go outside and play? Not if it happens there every year. Parents need to exercise common sense and dress their children for the weather. Weather that happens every year at the same time. There are exceptions. If your area had a heat wave of 110 degrees, it would be abnormal and your students would probably stay indoors, just as if we saw 20 degrees our children would stay indoors. But in those cases, we are talking about abnormal, not-going-to-last-a-whole-season weather.

Teachers need their breaks. Children need to run around and burn energy. We have a nation of over-weight adults and now children as well. Do what has to be done to make sure children get outside and exercise.

Good Luck!

Well, I am impressed. So many replies. Thanks so much and keep em coming. I am sure everyone has an opinion on this. I have posted this on another message board and so far only one person on there thinks it is ok for kids to go out in the cold. She was a retired teacher too. Doesn't surprise me. It is not her kids who are crying about thier faces, skin hurting and begging to go in.
Like I said, I do understand the kids need to get out and run around. But at the cost of them suffering is senseless. The kids have behavior problems weather they are in for recess or out. I have to deal with kids causing trouble outside every day too. I figure my kids can get outside when they get home and I can make sure they wear extra layers. I can have them come inside, and they can choose to come in when they are too cold. I can make them hot cocoa and take off wet clothes and wrap them in blankets. I would never make my kids go outside if they do not want to.
In a perfect world it would be left up to the kids or parents. I know it is not. But this can be changed and it seems that most of the people I talk to think 15 degrees is entirely too cold. Some schools don't go out if it is lower than 40. Some call it child abuse. Common sense sounds good to me too! Last time I heard 32 was the freezing mark. There is not that many days that the temp. is that cold all day. There are plenty of warmer days all through the winter so it is not like these kids would be stuck inside for months at a time. The mornings are usually cold but by afternoon most days the kids would get to go out anyway. The older grades only get one recess and they can handle the cold better than the little ones too. Some sort of a compromise would be great.
I asked the BOE to change the guidlines and they did not change a thing. Very sad I think. I know I am not the only parent who thinks this is wrong. I have signitures to prove it. More people need to stand up and ask for changes.
This is the only real problem I see with anything at this school. But this is HUGE to my kids. I called and complained two years ago when my girl was in kindergarten. She used to cry about going cause they make her go out. Other than that she loves school. My son too. Now he started school this year so I got a 3 hour job there so I do have first hand experience. I just can not imagine him being made to go out for the next five winters. It would be fine to go out for a short walk and then back in to the class or gym so they have time to play. I don't think I am asking too much for all the kids in this district. Do you?
Maybe I have too much compassion for the little ones. So I will do what I can to change this somehow. Wish I had more ideas to help me other than a petition. But I have lots of help and this is not all my idea. Just doing what I think it the right thing to do. God is with me too.

I'm in MA. Here at our school if its 32 or below the kids are not allowed outside for recess. They have had ALOT of indoor recess last year and this year.

(The teachers came to the PTO last year and asked for 3 new TV's so they could have one per grade level due to the amount of indoor recesses.)

If they do go out and there is snow on the ground they are not allowed to play in the snow unless they have snow pants and boots on. If they don't they are allowed to play on the blacktop driveway.
All kids have the option of staying inside at anytime if they want to during the winter.

We don't really have to worry about the hot days. It doesn't usually get above 70 until after school is out in late June.

I'm not certain we have a temperature rule here but it doesn't often get too much below 30 degrees here anyway.
If it's actively pouring wet stuff (snow, rain, hail) the kids stay in. If it's not. They go out.
I would probably think I was dying in some of your states! [img]smile.gif[/img]
I did a little research for you though -

This one talks about the risks of cold on the body-interesting portion

Skin freezes at about 28°F.

It's an army website so who will argue with it?
www.hooah4health.com/deployment/cold/cold.htm#cold
More-
www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-01/jhub-set010302.php
www.freep.com/news/health/chill6_20010206.htm
And finally from the CDC-
www.cdc.gov/nceh/hsb/extremecold/outdoorsafety.htm
Good Luck!!!