How Cold Is Too Cold To Play Outside?

A friend recently passed along a petition noting that many Montgomery County public schools keep elementary school children indoors when the temperature is 32 degrees or below. I'm sure there's some temperature below which it's not reasonable to have outside recess. But is that temperature really 32 degrees?

In my quick check of recess policies that are online, there are lots of school districts that require a coat below something around 50 degrees, and a hat and gloves below 32 degrees. They don't move recess indoors until it gets even colder: 20 degrees in some districts, or even zero in some places. What do you think the cutoff should be?

Here's a link to the petition calling for 30 minutes a day of active, outdoor recess in Montgomery County -- even below 32 degrees.

Try telling these kids 32 degrees is too cold to play.
Photo credit: kamshots