Ana Del Alamo, Staff Reporter
After a complicated day, my friends and I are going to Whataburger during our lunch period. I can not stop thinking about the delicious burger and the amazing fries. Wait…we can’t go out of school during lunch.
An open campus school offers students the choice to go out of school during their lunch time, giving them the opportunity to eat in other places and go back to school at the end of the period . However, all students in the North East Independent schools are not allowed to do so. In the San Antonio area, other districts such as Northside ISD, allow their students to go out during their lunch time. This policy needs to be reconsidered, allowing the students to have the option to eat at school or not.
The everyday food served at the cafeteria most times does not make the students satisfied. Since the quantity of food that they can have is limited at one time in both lunch and breakfast. The district policy states that students must select three full components of five and must select a fruit, adding that students can select five components if they wish, according to the NEISD website. But when it is applied to the daily routine, if you get more than the three items the lunch lady immediately tells you to put one item back. Consequently the student does not have enough to continue their school activities.
“I feel that the portions that are served are pretty small.” Brigid Cox (9) said. “Usually, I just pack a lot of snacks since they charge extra for a second portion to not feel hungry again.”
According to Eatright.org, ’’on average, teenage boys need around 2,600 to 3,200 calories a day, while teenage girls may need 2,200 to 2,400 calories daily.’’ It is therefore beneficial to provide more variety in the student’s day with more options to satisfy those caloric needs.
Allowing off campus lunch would also help develop life skills like responsibility and time management. Allowing students to leave the campus for lunch provides an opportunity to learn how to manage their time effectively, since they must return to school. For that, they need to plan briefly their lunch break, think about factors like travel time, and return to school promptly.
“I think that every freedom given to teenagers is beneficial to prepare them for the real world outside of school. Ms. Taylor Cissell said. “It helps a lot to have these skills developed before they are released into the wild.”