Illinois’ New “20 Minutes” Law Now In Effect Will Impact Kids

One of Illinois' many new laws is going to impact the state's kids.

Illinois has passed a slew of new laws that are going into effect this year, and specifically a few involving kids and education.

We're used to the standard school day: classes, lunch, recess, more classes. Maybe an extracurricular or assembly here and there. But a new law in Illinois is adjusting that slightly.

SB2872 dictates that Illinois schools should provide "relaxation activities" to students for at least 20 minutes per week. That includes things like mindfulness training, yoga, breathing exercises, quiet time, stretching, meditation, walking, in-person conversation, or other stress-reducing activities.

The new law doesn't specify when in the day the "relaxation activities" must be but they have to be somewhere and in some class. The law says they can be part of a P.E. class, social-emotional learning class, student-support/advisory class, or part of another similar class. These "relaxation activities" are in addition to (not replacing) recess.

There's also no specification on how it needs to be broken down. It can be 10 minutes a day twice a week or 5 minutes a day 5 times a week (6 times for the districts with 4-day weeks).

Schools can partner with community organizations for these activities. It's designed "to enhance the mental and physical health of students as part of the school day", according to the legislation.

The bill was first introduced in January of last year. It was edited over the course of 2024 to clarify what "relaxation activities" were and then was signed into law in August, to take effect this year.