The topic of lunch passes has sparked mixed opinions among students and school counselors. Many students see lunch passes as a form of freedom, accessibility of food options, and a break from school atmosphere. On the other hand counselors often express concerns of safety, accountability, and whether students return on time or even at all. Both student desires and counselor responsibilities play a major role in shaping the conditions to do with lunch passes and their desires or right to have them.
The struggles that students say they have has to do with how harsh the rules are for them. One rule in particular can cause students to lose their lunch pass: unexcused tardies. A new in place this year from administrators is if students have a tardy on their record, their lunch pass is pulled for a week.
“The only problem with the lunch passes is making sure they aren’t using fake lunch passes. To ensure no false descriptions being made we plan to implement scanners in the second semester,” said Mrs. Pamela Snively, Learning Director.
Snively also responded to the big complaint of freshman and sophomore students not being let out for lunch implying, “The reason why freshman and sophomore students don’t have lunch passes is because it’s a privilege and lunch passes are not permitted.”
Is that the only reason that freshman and sophomore can’t have launch passes or can there be another reason for this major rule. Is there any way that this rule can be overruled and all grades can get a lunch pass?
Ms. Alma Mejia, senior counselor said, “No, the lunch pass rules aren’t harsh because data shows only 40 to 60 students usually are tardy, so no the rules are and never were harsh.”
Airam Rodriguez (12) said, “The lunch pass rule is harsh because the rules against us are very strict and unfair, even removing them unjustly and mistakenly giving us students a hard time.”
Rodriguez also agrees with the counselor’s implying that, “Yes, I think lunch passes should be earned especially with rules like GPA requirements.”
Only 40 to 60 students get their lunch passes revoked for tardies then how come the complaints on revoking are a major problem to the students. Are the students being lazy or suspicious? Is there a reason why they want this rule to be overturned?
Isabella Trammel (10) said,” Lunch passes shouldn’t be a privilege in my opinion they should be given out until proven they should be taken away, and I say this goes for all grades, requirements like GPA or attendance is fine to use against us, but with that we should all have a lunch pass.”
After seeing both sides a solution that seems to satisfy both groups is letting everyone have lunch until taken away from not being able to withhold something such as GPA. This will help show that the school is giving everyone a chance but also showing that lunch passes are still a privilege.
