Many high school students across the country have the privilege of an open campus, where students are able to go out and purchase out-of-school lunch as opposed to eating the lunch provided by their school. Seniors at Townsend Harris currently have this privilege through their access to the Queens College campus. This privilege should be extended to students from all grades, with all students having access both to QC campus options and local food options. With open lunch, students would be expected to return to school by a set time before class resumes. Students would be able to have more choices for food during their lunch break and would benefit from the ability to leave the school building and get fresh air.
In addition to numerous food options on the Queens College campus, THHS is surrounded by food options, including lines of restaurants along Kissena Boulevard and Main Street. If students could go off-campus during lunch, they would have a wider selection of food to choose from that could better meet their individual preferences and needs.
Food outside of school could supply what school lunches lack in terms of appeal to students. The presentation of food sold outside is also far more appetizing and tempting compared to cafeteria food, potentially incentivizing students who generally do not eat lunch to go out and get something. It also offers students who are tired of the cafeteria food to have additional options, even if they choose to eat in the school cafeteria most days.
Eating lunch at school has been shown to help students’ physical health, cognition abilities (including memory and concentration), and behavior. It is no secret that public school lunch options are often disliked by some students. This makes the option of open campus lunch far more engaging to students rather than confining them solely to home-packed or school lunches.
The school’s cafeteria can also be crowded. Some lunch bands typically consist of a larger population than others and in those cases, there simply isn’t enough room. Students may prefer to have their own space rather than be cramped into a table or forced to sit with those they don’t know. Allowing students to go off-campus for lunch, also creates more room for students in the cafeteria once their peers leave to eat outside. Reducing crowding also benefits the students who choose to get school lunch, by allowing more chances to get seconds or even thirds from the cafeteria.
While some may argue that students could prepare their own lunches and snacks, not all students have the time to do so. Giving students lunch money may be a far easier choice for some families than taking the effort and time that they may not have to make a home-cooked meal. While there may be issues regarding the prices of purchasing outside food, schools that allow for open campuses often still have school lunches available for those who would prefer to do that. Some schools, such as Stuyvesant High School, that have open lunch are able to get discounts at nearby restaurants with the presentation of a school ID.
Additionally, critics of this system may argue that some students will not return to school. Students, especially those with later lunch bands, might just leave the school and miss their last classes of the day, which could be a serious problem that requires a great deal of supervision. It’s clear that before implementing this system there would need to be clear rules and only students who follow those rules should be able to maintain this privilege. To ensure students return back in time, open campus privileges should be revoked for students who repeatedly come to school late, students who return from open lunch late, or students who commit other infractions repeatedly. Students could also be expected to return around the last five minutes of a period to better keep track of who enters the building.
The Bronx High School of Science requires students to scan their IDs before leaving. If they were to return late, they would be notified and be charged with cutting class. THHS could learn from schools like this and scan IDs for students who leave and check them back in when they return. Those who fail to return at the end of their lunch band could be banned from going out for lunch in the future or given demerits in order to prevent students from abusing and taking advantage of this privilege.
The administration should implement an open campus policy to fully benefit the student body as a whole.
