Some parents of students at Stevens Elementary are upset because their children's recess have been canceled, KPRC Local 2 reported.

"They gave my teacher a letter on the computer that, starting next Monday, no recess," student Tristan Kent said.

Kelly Spivey, Tristan's mother, said physical education classes have been reduced to once a week. She said the students need recess to build social skills.

Spivey said she asked the school's principal for an explanation.

"I questioned why they don't have it and she said unfortunately it's a regional decision because the testing scores are not as high as they would like them to be," Spivey said. "They feel the kids need to concentrate more on their school."

The school's principal and officials with the Houston Independent School District declined to comment. A staff member denied the cutbacks.

The state of Texas mandates that students have 135 minutes of physical activity each week. School officials said students at Stevens Elementary receive 150 minutes in two daily recess periods and two physical education classes each week.

The students told another story.

"P.E. is only one day a week," student Drew Lochridge-Fletcher said. "Recess, they canceled it."

"They told us we can't have recess because our scores are going low and we need higher scores to get our recess back," student Brianna Lambert said.

Spivey said the answer is simple.

"If he's mandated to get a certain amount of time, then he should be allowed to get it," Spivey said. "If they're so concerned about the TAKS testing, they need to continue with the Saturday tutoring."

Tristan said he hopes the school will reconsider.

"I want recess back because it's fun," Tristan said.