The head of Chicago Public Schools says recess will be mandatory at every elementary school in the system next year. Currently, individual schools can choose whether to set aside time for recess. CEO Jean-Claude Brizard says playtime is important for students.

“We came in too late to actually push for a city-wide mandate for this fall so we have quite a few more schools pushing recess during the school day for this coming fall, but by next fall, all schools - all elementary schools in the city - will have recess,” Brizard said Monday on WBEZ.

In May, the public school system released a directive saying each school must make recess mandatory by fall 2012. But a spokeswoman says schools will still have the choice to opt out of the plan.