Cordell Public Schools will make a slight adjustment to the elementary school day for the 2026-27 school year to comply with Oklahoma’s new recess requirements established under Senate Bill 1481. The new law requires elementary students in kindergarten through fifth grade to receive 40 minutes of recess each school day, with at least 20 of those minutes designated as non-instructional recess time that cannot count toward the state’s required instructional minutes. Because Cordell Public Schools already exceeded the state’s required instructional minutes each day, the district does not need to add the full 20 minutes to its schedule. Instead, only a five-minute adjustment is necessary for the elementary school day. Beginning this school year, elementary students will start school at 8:15 a.m. and dismiss at 3:25 p.m.
There will be no changes to the schedules for Cordell Junior High School or Cordell High School. Both campuses will continue to operate from 8:20 a.m. to 3:25 p.m. District officials said that because the elementary schedule is only changing by five minutes, bus routes and breakfast times will remain the same as they were during the previous school year. Cordell Public Schools appreciates the continued support and flexibility of families as the district implements this small adjustment while maintaining compliance with state requirements and minimizing disruption to students’ daily routines.