“Closed campus” at lunch but no enforcement?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My freshman leaves at least 3x a week and I don’t care. They eat at chipotle, panera, moby dicks, or Starbucks. All better than the over packed cafeteria.

Not everyone can afford that. Your kid is fortunate.

Ok but it’s good for many kids mental health to NOT be in the cafeteria and get outside

They can do that without $10-15 lunches daily. My kids pack lunch and never have been into the cafeteria.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My freshman leaves at least 3x a week and I don’t care. They eat at chipotle, panera, moby dicks, or Starbucks. All better than the over packed cafeteria.

Not everyone can afford that. Your kid is fortunate.

The word I'd use is spoiled, not fortunate. But hey, that's just me.

Once a week is reasonable, 3-5 times a week is absurd.

[Anonymous]

There is a reason MCPS high schools generally say closed lunch but then turn a blind eye to students leaving for lunch. MCPS Central encourages this policy because if something happens to a student off campus during lunch, the school cannot be held liable because MCPS can say the student was not supposed to leave the school for lunch as it is a closed campus. It is all about minimizing liability

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a reason MCPS high schools generally say closed lunch but then turn a blind eye to students leaving for lunch. MCPS Central encourages this policy because if something happens to a student off campus during lunch, the school cannot be held liable because MCPS can say the student was not supposed to leave the school for lunch as it is a closed campus. It is all about minimizing liability

They say they scan their ids and call home. So should we FOIA how many students arrive back in class late? Not that I would but I bet the data is there- they just hide it. It wouldn’t take much to show MCPS is liable as they’re not actively enforcing their own policies per several earlier posts/news reports. Lip service can be costly too….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD is a freshman and said several of her friends went to McDonald’s for lunch. They left school (and claimed a security guard even held the door open for them!) got on the public bus and went to lunch. Meanwhile, the principal routinely talks about how the HS is a closed campus at lunch and any student that arrives back from lunch period late gets their ID scanned and a call hone! Don’t tell me the campus is “closed” if you’re not enforcing it!

OMG! The sky is falling!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My freshman leaves at least 3x a week and I don’t care. They eat at chipotle, panera, moby dicks, or Starbucks. All better than the over packed cafeteria.

Not everyone can afford that. Your kid is fortunate.

Ok but it’s good for many kids mental health to NOT be in the cafeteria and get outside

Maybe those parents of those many kids should use that $50-80 a week on mental health treatment if they are that fragile they cannot eat at the school cafeteria or pack their lunch (or have their housekeeper or nanny pack their lunch).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see so many kids around Blair during lunch. Why not just make it an open lunch? What’s the point if it’s not enforced?

This is the crazy thing about MCPS. They want to look like they're doing the right thing, by saying they have closed campus lunches for student safety, but then refuse to invest the necessary resources, protocols and enforcements to make what they say they do on paper actually be true.

I agree with you. If MCPS actually has no intention of ever honoring its closed lunch policy, then they should just drop the farce of claiming to have a closed campus. It's ridiculous.

I don’t know if there is an “MCPS Policy”, as there are schools with open lunch. WJ is wide open, for all grades. They cannot possibly service the student body in the cafeteria as things are now. Can anyone chime in what Blair’s actual policy is?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a reason MCPS high schools generally say closed lunch but then turn a blind eye to students leaving for lunch. MCPS Central encourages this policy because if something happens to a student off campus during lunch, the school cannot be held liable because MCPS can say the student was not supposed to leave the school for lunch as it is a closed campus. It is all about minimizing liability

Also the reason HS principals wanted to keep police in schools.

[Anonymous]

OMG, kids are going to McD's for lunch! The world as we know it is ending!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why don't you tell your kid they are not allowed to leave campus. Unbelievable that you can find a way to blame the school for this.

Seriously I can’t believe that if as a parent you care that you can’t figure out how to enforce it. I mean tell them no. If they do it, take aware their source of funds, take the phone, ground them. Whatever.

Taking their phone away for leaving campus is punishing them after the fact. It is not enforcing the school’s supposed closed campus policy.

Again, only the school can enforce that. Parents are not in the building.

OP you seem outrageous. Plenty of things in the world that can be blamed on failed leadership. This is failed parenting nothing to do with leadership. Punishing them after the fact as you say should be enough to deter them from doing it again. If it is not then that is your problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why don't you tell your kid they are not allowed to leave campus. Unbelievable that you can find a way to blame the school for this.

Seriously I can’t believe that if as a parent you care that you can’t figure out how to enforce it. I mean tell them no. If they do it, take aware their source of funds, take the phone, ground them. Whatever.

Taking their phone away for leaving campus is punishing them after the fact. It is not enforcing the school’s supposed closed campus policy.

Again, only the school can enforce that. Parents are not in the building.

We’re talking high schoolers, not two year olds. They’ll get the connection. And parents are not as powerless as you make them out to be.

You keep talking in circles to avoid acknowledging the obvious point that enforcement of the school's closed campus policy rests with the school, not the parents. It defies logic to say people who are not physically in the school building are more responsible to enforce the closed campus policy more than the adults who are in the school building.

But then again, I don't think you possess or prize ration and logic anyway. So this is a moot discussion.

If this is what you choose to egt fired up about you really should consider home school or private. I feel like you have no clue what goes on in a high school. This is small potatoes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My freshman leaves at least 3x a week and I don’t care. They eat at chipotle, panera, moby dicks, or Starbucks. All better than the over packed cafeteria.

Not everyone can afford that. Your kid is fortunate.

Ok but it’s good for many kids mental health to NOT be in the cafeteria and get outside

Maybe those parents of those many kids should use that $50-80 a week on mental health treatment if they are that fragile they cannot eat at the school cafeteria or pack their lunch (or have their housekeeper or nanny pack their lunch).

I haven't been to McDonald's recently, but how would you spend $50-$80 in 5 days on lunch at McDonald's?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why don't you tell your kid they are not allowed to leave campus. Unbelievable that you can find a way to blame the school for this.

Seriously I can’t believe that if as a parent you care that you can’t figure out how to enforce it. I mean tell them no. If they do it, take aware their source of funds, take the phone, ground them. Whatever.

Taking their phone away for leaving campus is punishing them after the fact. It is not enforcing the school’s supposed closed campus policy.

Again, only the school can enforce that. Parents are not in the building.

We’re talking high schoolers, not two year olds. They’ll get the connection. And parents are not as powerless as you make them out to be.

You keep talking in circles to avoid acknowledging the obvious point that enforcement of the school's closed campus policy rests with the school, not the parents. It defies logic to say people who are not physically in the school building are more responsible to enforce the closed campus policy more than the adults who are in the school building.

But then again, I don't think you possess or prize ration and logic anyway. So this is a moot discussion.

If this is what you choose to egt fired up about you really should consider home school or private. I feel like you have no clue what goes on in a high school. This is small potatoes.

You’re right- it may be small potatoes. But if it is, then why should we accept the state our schools are in? Why is the burden on parents to either go private or homeschool, both of which aren’t an option for most families? You say it as if it’s easy, as if it’s an actual choice for people. We’re active in our school community and are trying to change what we can to improve our schools, but it’s a huge task that feels overwhelming sometimes. Privileged comments like these don’t help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see so many kids around Blair during lunch. Why not just make it an open lunch? What’s the point if it’s not enforced?

This is the crazy thing about MCPS. They want to look like they're doing the right thing, by saying they have closed campus lunches for student safety, but then refuse to invest the necessary resources, protocols and enforcements to make what they say they do on paper actually be true.

I agree with you. If MCPS actually has no intention of ever honoring its closed lunch policy, then they should just drop the farce of claiming to have a closed campus. It's ridiculous.

I don’t know if there is an “MCPS Policy”, as there are schools with open lunch. WJ is wide open, for all grades. They cannot possibly service the student body in the cafeteria as things are now. Can anyone chime in what Blair’s actual policy is?

Both my kids go to Blair and the campus is “closed.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why don't you tell your kid they are not allowed to leave campus. Unbelievable that you can find a way to blame the school for this.

Seriously I can’t believe that if as a parent you care that you can’t figure out how to enforce it. I mean tell them no. If they do it, take aware their source of funds, take the phone, ground them. Whatever.

Taking their phone away for leaving campus is punishing them after the fact. It is not enforcing the school’s supposed closed campus policy.

Again, only the school can enforce that. Parents are not in the building.

We’re talking high schoolers, not two year olds. They’ll get the connection. And parents are not as powerless as you make them out to be.

You keep talking in circles to avoid acknowledging the obvious point that enforcement of the school's closed campus policy rests with the school, not the parents. It defies logic to say people who are not physically in the school building are more responsible to enforce the closed campus policy more than the adults who are in the school building.

But then again, I don't think you possess or prize ration and logic anyway. So this is a moot discussion.

If this is what you choose to egt fired up about you really should consider home school or private. I feel like you have no clue what goes on in a high school. This is small potatoes.

You’re right- it may be small potatoes. But if it is, then why should we accept the state our schools are in? Why is the burden on parents to either go private or homeschool, both of which aren’t an option for most families? You say it as if it’s easy, as if it’s an actual choice for people. We’re active in our school community and are trying to change what we can to improve our schools, but it’s a huge task that feels overwhelming sometimes. Privileged comments like these don’t help.

DP. "Privileged comments" like "MCPS and high school administrators have more urgent issues than enforcing closed-campus rules"? How is that a "privileged comment"?