Students should be allowed to do homework during recess

As per the debate structure outlined in the instigation, I shall save my rebuttals for round 3. I am usually always respectful of my opponent's outlines, so I hope Logic doesn't see what I'm about to say next as a breach of the rules, but this was simply killing me when I read it so it must be addressed before I can sleep soundly again: my opponent claims "Students are legally required to attend school" but this is not true in all cases, such as those students who are 18 and over. It would more accurately read, "Students are definitionally required to attend school".Yes, I was just being nitpicky. And now I shall go straight to my own arguments.1. The physical importance of exercise.Perhaps if Logic on Rails and I had this discussion a few decades ago, before obesity and its resulting health issues plagued our younger generation so palpably like it does today, we would agree on the matter. However, our children are suffering an age of technological convenience, an age of utter laziness.Surely we can all agree that doing homework is important and that stimulating the mind (by such ways as solving puzzles or playing Chess) is also important. But then surely we must also agree on another matter of no less importance: being physically healthy. For what good is your wit or knowledge when you suffer an early death from a heart attack?According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (who got its statistics from various sources, including the National Institutes for Health and the National Center for Health Statistics), "The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 20% in 2008. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to 18% over the same period." [1]Clearly a staggering (and frightening) increase. It seems as time goes on, the amount of exercise children are getting steadily decreases. It should be clear to all this is a problem. So the question must be asked: would allowing children to shirk their physical fitness at school improve or worsen this problem?I hope I don't even need a source to convince you it could, and would, only worsen the problem. Obesity of any age can lead to such problems as high blood pressure, asthma, type 2 diabetes, and even certain sleep disorders. [2] I love Chess as much as the next guy, but the Sicilian defense can't defend you from these health risks. Only regular exercise can.2. The mental importance of exercise.Exercise does more than keep you physically fit; it keeps you mentally sharp as well. For starters, to suggest children should do classwork for four hours, then do their homework for an hour, then do more classwork for another three hours is expecting a little too much from someone, be them Elementary school students or adults. They need a break from thinking, they need to stretch their legs and run off some energy.Of course, you're not saying they should be forced to do homework during recess, only that the option should be given. But there is little difference. It's like offering a child the option to skip math class if he wants to: what do you think he's going to do? While a child may not understand the benefits of learning arithmetic or exercising at a young age, it is our responsibility to include these things in their curriculum (and not as mere options).Exercise gets more blood flowing through the body and to the brain, which means more oxygen keeping your mental state nutritionally fit. [3] In turn, this will help children to spend the time in class actually learning instead of being mentally exhausted.Sources:[1] http://www.cdc.gov...[2] http://www.mayoclinic.com...[3] http://www.edutopia.org...