On Oct. 10, Ocean Lakes introduced a new One Lunch policy effective immediately. At the beginning of each block, Dr. Leslie Ittner made an announcement over the intercom explaining that One Lunch is a privilege and not a right.
The school would suffer if we lost that privilege. One Lunch opens the door for students, especially those who work or play sports outside of school, to become more involved. Many students, including myself, have never eaten lunch in the cafeteria. What One Lunch provides to us is choice. High schoolers should be and are capable of making the right decision on how they use their One Lunch time.
The rule changes felt like a dangerous step towards the abolition of One Lunch. Dr. Ittner, however, provided encouragement that One Lunch will remain at Ocean Lakes.
“I love One Lunch,” Ittner said. “I love that students have a time to choose what to do, but I want it to be done safely.”
Even the current arrangement harms us. Students rush around the halls trying to find a teacher that will take them in. They fear being sent to the Schola or even facing disciplinary action if they are unable to find a place to eat in a mere five minutes.
Previously, an intercom announcement at 12:15 p.m. informed students to remain in a classroom or other designated area. Now, this expectation is at 11:55 a.m. Furthermore, students are no longer able to eat in hallways. Although none of the changes were too dramatic, they received some negative reactions from students.
“They should have lowered [the time to be in a designated area] by 10 minutes instead of 20 minutes,” sophomore Elijah Parra said.
Everyone wants a safe school environment; unfortunately, security often comes at the expense of freedom.
“We are still making tweaks to the new plan,” said Dr. Ittner. “It is a delicate balance.”
One such tweak came from a student’s suggestion. Last week, a list of open classrooms appeared on a second-floor whiteboard as well as on the Academic Street televisions. The administration encourages other students to provide their own feedback to make One Lunch the best that it can be.
I remain hopeful that we will continue to be able to reap all the amazing benefits of One Lunch, but that requires every student to act responsibly.
