Is It Time For Open Campus Lunch?

by Esaw Adhana, Reporter

Op-Ed, School News

    Students have argued in favor of open campus lunch — allowing students to leave campus, grab food from elsewhere, and return within their thirty minute lunch window — for years. Yet, their requests, time and time again, have been refused.

Even back as a freshman without a driver’s license, I heard students constantly debating this issue with school administration. Currently, Kamiak remains a closed campus. Their handbook states, “[Students] are not permitted to leave campus for lunch,” adding that, “All outside deliveries (food, stores, etc.) will not be accepted or will be thrown out,” both prohibiting students from leaving campus to grab food and preventing students from ordering food through UberEats, DoorDash, or any other means (15-16). Despite this zero tolerance policy, many students—especially upperclassmen who have their driver’s license—leave campus anyway, making the risky (yet effective) trip off campus. With coffee shops like Starbucks and Grounds both less than a mile away, there is a constant incentive to take a two-minute drive for a bite to eat. This incentive is even furthered by budget cuts and a statewide reduction of funding that have hiked up school lunch prices to nearly five dollars. Hence, there is a strong argument to be made in favor of an open campus. With the uncountable number of students already leaving campus (against school policy), it seems reasonable for upperclassmen (or any other students) to be able to leave for lunch. Yet unfortunately, to the dismay of many students including myself, the solution isn’t quite that simple.

The cause of the closed campus lunch policy, which extends beyond Kamiak to Mariner, Jackson, Lake Stevens, and most other, if not all, local high schools in our area, boils down to one word: safety. Unsurprisingly, there are many risks involved: an open campus would require students to drive somewhere to get food while still under school supervision during the school day. This unfurls a multitude of questions, many looking at the most dire situations like: What if the student gets in a car crash? What if the student gets kidnapped? What if they illegally drive without insurance?, as well as more logistical concerns such as: What if the student arrives late for their next class? Ultimately, although the individual makes the choice to leave campus, this decision, made by a Kamiak student during the school day, leaves the school liable for their safety. And hence, the no-off-campus-lunch rule remains in place — for the sake of allowing the school to breathe easily, knowing that all its students are safe and accounted for every lunch.

However, there might be one exception to the rule, which may allow some students to leave. The small percentage of students who are “emancipated” (legally declared as separate from their parents) are technically able to sign themselves out in the main office. Because of this little trick, theoretically speaking, an emancipated minor could, at the start of lunch, sign out in the main office and leave to get food, perfectly within the school policy. It’s definitely not worthwhile to go through the entire emancipation process for the sake of getting lunch, but if one is already emancipated for other reasons, it might be something to consider.

So, what’s the solution? Is there a possible compromise to be made between our cautious administration and our hungry students? For now, it doesn’t seem like it. Kamiak will likely remain a closed campus school just like most others, and unless you are emancipated, you’re probably out of luck. It’s unfortunate, but it ultimately makes sense — student safety should come first. Regardless, have a good lunch and bon appétit!

DISCLAIMER: The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by the various authors in this paper do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of Kamiak High School or The Gauntlet. 

Sources

Burke, Christine. “Should Our Teens Be Allowed to Have Open Campus Lunch?” Grown and Flown, 19 Oct. 2018, https://grownandflown.com/teens-allowed-open-campus-lunch/.

Kamiak Administration. Kamiak Student Handbook 2022-2023. 2022, https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:cd5472ad-b041-329c-9662-1866aad95fd2.