Printable · one page · for meetings
PTO handout: outdoors before screens
Three numbers, three asks, sources at the bottom. Print a stack, leave them on the table.
Outdoors before screens
Why our school's daylight minutes matter — in one page
~50%of the world projected nearsighted by 2050
(Holden 2016, Ophthalmology)
≈3×rise in myopia among six-year-olds after 2020's
indoor, screen-heavy months (Wang 2021, JAMA Ophthalmol)
−25%fewer new cases from one extra outdoor school
period a day (He 2015, JAMA — randomized trial)
The one-sentence version
Children's eyes need daylight while they grow; schools control more daylight minutes than anyone except parents — and outdoor time is the only myopia prevention proven in randomized school trials.
Three asks that cost nothing
- Recess goes outside whenever weather reasonably allows — cloudy counts (a grey sky is 10–100× brighter than a classroom).
- Recess is never the punishment. Taking daylight away to discipline a child works against their eyesight.
- Track it for four weeks. One wall chart per classroom — see how many outdoor minutes students actually get, then decide together if it's enough.
Sources: Holden 2016 doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2016.01.006 · He 2015 doi:10.1001/jama.2015.10803 · Wu 2013 doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2012.11.009 · Wang 2021 doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2020.6239. Plain-language summaries & this handout: lesspix.com/school/
Meeting tips
- Lead with the randomized-trial point — it separates this from ordinary screen-time worry.
- The tracker is your yes-able ask: no budget, no policy change, one teacher can start Monday.
- Leave the principal letter with whoever wants to go further.