Senate Bill 805 mandates that, starting in the 2026-27 school year, public schools and charter schools in Wisconsin must schedule a minimum of 60 minutes of recess each school day for students in grades kindergarten through six. The bill defines recess as supervised, unstructured time for physical activity, play, organized games, or social engagement, and prohibits the use of electronic devices during this time. Additionally, recess cannot be withheld as a disciplinary measure unless a student's participation poses an immediate safety threat. The Department of Public Instruction is tasked with providing guidance and professional development resources to assist schools in implementing these requirements.

The bill also amends existing statutes regarding the scheduling of direct pupil instruction hours. It allows up to 60 minutes of recess to count towards the required instructional hours, which is an increase from the previous limit of 30 minutes. This change aims to ensure that recess is recognized as a valuable component of the school day while still meeting educational requirements. The bill includes the insertion of new legal language to create section 118.077, which outlines the recess requirements, and modifies sections 119.04 (1) and 121.02 (1) (f) to reflect these changes.