Some students at Westborough High School are fed up with unappetizing school lunches. In addition, each student only gets 21 minutes to eat their lunch as the whole school fits three lunches into one full hour. All students must stay on campus for lunch and eat what the school provides for them or what they bring themselves. Students should have the opportunity to earn more freedom. It would benefit the WHS community if there was an open campus policy for juniors and seniors since the schedule would not need to be altered as well.  

Algonquin Regional High School, our next-door neighbors have a senior privilege program where they are allowed to leave during certain times of the day. In order to earn this privilege, students must be in satisfactory academic standing with no failing grades in any courses. To be eligible for the first quarter of the senior year no failing grade would be allowed in either the 4th quarter or final grade of a course at the end of the junior year or in any quarter of the senior year.

The Algonquin student handbook says “Seniors must sign themselves out in the upper school office, pick up a senior privilege card and directly leave school grounds. Seniors are not allowed to leave during lunch unless 5th period is a non‐scheduled period. If seniors leave during 5th period, they are not allowed to bring food back to school. Seniors who are returning to school must sign back in at the upper school office, return the senior privilege card and report either directly to their class or to the cafeteria until the bell rings. Failure to return senior privilege card will result in loss of privileges for 3 days for 1st offense (escalates with continuous behavior).” This seems like a very well organized system, and although we may have a different schedule as them, I am hopeful we could make this work.

Most teens with a license know the rules of the road and will follow them closely. This may also be an option to only give to juniors and seniors who actually have their licenses. Although some administrators, educators, and parents might be skeptical about this idea as nobody wants their students coming late to class after being off campus eating lunch, this situation can be easily solved by explaining to the students the consequences of coming late or not coming back for classes. Students should be responsible for their own actions.

If study halls and perhaps open lunches were made an option it would be a great benefit to students as for some it would be a stress reducer and for others an incentive to work harder. If students have the privilege of off-campus lunch, they will gain more responsibility and more experience on how the real world works.