Why do some high schools allow open lunch and others do not

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Open campus lunch has worked for decades in many Montgomery County, Arlington, and DC public schools. It started in the late 60s and early 70s as students gained more freedom from then overbearing school administrations. MCPS, APS, and DCPS kept the open campus lunch policies in place because they worked so well over the years. Local businesses also benefited from the lunchtime rush. Student clubs, extracurriculars, and other activities are scheduled in coordination with the lunch periods. Also, notably, the public high schools with open lunches are within walking distance of homes, fast food joints, and businesses. The campuses also tend to be urban: B-CC, Walter Johnson, the former Blair, Jackson-Reed (Wilson), H-B Woodlawn, W-L, Yorktown, etc. Seniors in APS have open campus driving privileges.

Seneca Valley, which is not urban, used to have official open lunch, until a 15-year-old student was hit and killed while walking to school.

I don't know if Northwest ever had official open lunch, but that non-urban high school is also within walking distance of fast food.

This is tragic but mcps only provides bus service for two miles away. Our kids, if they walk have to cross major roads so this is a tragedy bound to happen without buses or guards. No family should experience that but it’s a separate issue from open lunch.

That's not true at all, MCPS provides bus service to lots of kids to high school from less than 2 miles away.

Only if they need to pass a 6+ lane road to get to school or don’t have adequate sidewalks/crosswalks on 4+ lane roadways

Well, sometimes not even then. But other times, yes. And yet other times, even if they don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have many photos that show why an open campus at lunchtime is a safety issue.
I see 70 plus kids walk by and they all come back with their 7- 11 food and this is just by my house. The students leave in other directions, too.
Einstein has no idea who and how many leave and worse yet, they have no idea who's coming back into the building. Per the principal, there are no checks in place.

How is that a safety issue?[/quote

"Einstein has no idea how many leave and worse yet, they have no idea who's coming back..."
That's a safety issue

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have many photos that show why an open campus at lunchtime is a safety issue.
I see 70 plus kids walk by and they all come back with their 7- 11 food and this is just by my house. The students leave in other directions, too.
Einstein has no idea who and how many leave and worse yet, they have no idea who's coming back into the building. Per the principal, there are no checks in place.

How is that a safety issue?[/quote

"Einstein has no idea how many leave and worse yet, they have no idea who's coming back..."
That's a safety issue

[Anonymous]

If you live near any high school that allows an open campus, you know why it's a safety issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you live near any high school that allows an open campus, you know why it's a safety issue.

But it's not a safety issue when kids walk to and from school?

[Anonymous]

It may be a safety issue walking to and from school. Was anyone saying it wasn't?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you live near any high school that allows an open campus, you know why it's a safety issue.

I don't. So, why is it a safety issue?

[Anonymous]

I think Blair still has more than one lunch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because MCPS is a system of schools, not a school system. Each principal wields an absurd amount of power over what happens in their building

Or external considerations such as agreements with the community when the school was built.

[Anonymous]

It's a safety issue for the students because of the fights and drug use I have witnessed. It's a safety issue for the neighborhood for the same reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think Blair still has more than one lunch.

DC is a junior at Blair and there has only been one lunch since 9th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a safety issue for the students because of the fights and drug use I have witnessed. It's a safety issue for the neighborhood for the same reasons.

Do they only happen during lunch?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Open campus lunch has worked for decades in many Montgomery County, Arlington, and DC public schools. It started in the late 60s and early 70s as students gained more freedom from then overbearing school administrations. MCPS, APS, and DCPS kept the open campus lunch policies in place because they worked so well over the years. Local businesses also benefited from the lunchtime rush. Student clubs, extracurriculars, and other activities are scheduled in coordination with the lunch periods. Also, notably, the public high schools with open lunches are within walking distance of homes, fast food joints, and businesses. The campuses also tend to be urban: B-CC, Walter Johnson, the former Blair, Jackson-Reed (Wilson), H-B Woodlawn, W-L, Yorktown, etc. Seniors in APS have open campus driving privileges.

Seneca Valley, which is not urban, used to have official open lunch, until a 15-year-old student was hit and killed while walking to school.

I don't know if Northwest ever had official open lunch, but that non-urban high school is also within walking distance of fast food.

This is tragic but mcps only provides bus service for two miles away. Our kids, if they walk have to cross major roads so this is a tragedy bound to happen without buses or guards. No family should experience that but it’s a separate issue from open lunch.

That's not true at all, MCPS provides bus service to lots of kids to high school from less than 2 miles away.

Only if they need to pass a 6+ lane road to get to school or don’t have adequate sidewalks/crosswalks on 4+ lane roadways

We are 1.8 miles from school and no bus service. Our kids have to cross Conn. Ave, University or Veirs Mill. Several students have been hit by cars over the years. Still no buses. We also don't have a lot of sidewalks or crosswalks and everyone walks in the street. So, absolutely untrue.

[Anonymous]

Open lunch has been successfully implemented since the 1960s. How is it only now a safety issue? What changed? Is this post-covid or social media driven shenanigans?

Or maybe it’s really no more of an issue than it was 15, 20 or 40 years ago. And this is all
overblown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Open lunch has been successfully implemented since the 1960s. How is it only now a safety issue? What changed? Is this post-covid or social media driven shenanigans?

Or maybe it’s really no more of an issue than it was 15, 20 or 40 years ago. And this is all
overblown.

It’s not just now a safety issue. It’s been a safety issue and always has been. Which is why several MCPS high schools that used to have open lunch transitioned to a closed lunch model over the years.

You open lunch evangelists are delusional. I don’t know why you’re invested in denying reality but it doesn’t serve your cause. Open lunch has always had problems.