Open Lunch

[Anonymous]

Are you saying 25/26 high schools have some sort of open lunch?

[Anonymous]

MCPS needs to do what most other states do: 30min lunches in shifts.

And don’t come back with “all students need the same lunch for clubs.” BS. Clubs can meet after school. I’m a teacher who runs multiple clubs and after-school clubs works. If kids don’t want to stay after school, they don’t have to participate.

Expecting 2500-3000 kids to have the same lunch is madness and is not efficient for all students to be able to eat lunch on campus

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS needs to do what most other states do: 30min lunches in shifts.

And don’t come back with “all students need the same lunch for clubs.” BS. Clubs can meet after school. I’m a teacher who runs multiple clubs and after-school clubs works. If kids don’t want to stay after school, they don’t have to participate.

Expecting 2500-3000 kids to have the same lunch is madness and is not efficient for all students to be able to eat lunch on campus

Often teachers are also assisting students during lunch time. Many teachers are also sponsors of clubs and teachers have said most days they don't get lunch during the designated lunch time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS needs to do what most other states do: 30min lunches in shifts.

And don’t come back with “all students need the same lunch for clubs.” BS. Clubs can meet after school. I’m a teacher who runs multiple clubs and after-school clubs works. If kids don’t want to stay after school, they don’t have to participate.

Expecting 2500-3000 kids to have the same lunch is madness and is not efficient for all students to be able to eat lunch on campus

Some kids cannot stay after school due to other commitments or transportation but lunches are way to big.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wootton claims they are the only HS without an open lunch

Who? The kids or the staff? I don’t know which schools do and which don’t. But I know that Wootton is not the only one because Blake doesn’t have open lunch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS needs to do what most other states do: 30min lunches in shifts.

And don’t come back with “all students need the same lunch for clubs.” BS. Clubs can meet after school. I’m a teacher who runs multiple clubs and after-school clubs works. If kids don’t want to stay after school, they don’t have to participate.

Expecting 2500-3000 kids to have the same lunch is madness and is not efficient for all students to be able to eat lunch on campus

Parent of high schooler here.

I vastly prefer the all one lunch model. My kid does a school sport and a club sport. They do activities. After school is busy. We go to our home school but it's super important to get as much into the day as possible for kids who don't live in boundary so they can get home (talking about Blair and Wheaton and RM, etc...). At an everyone-lunch they can see ALL friends if they choose, or they can do club + teacher help or teacher help + eat. I think what happens during 30 minute lunches is kids are even less likely to be able to eat.

Also lots of kids have to work or pick up siblings after school. Clubs during lunch is a lot of inclusive and equitable because it enables participation for everyone. This is probably the most important thing. I am sure lots of kids "want" to do a club but can't because mom said I have to pick up my brother or I have to go to work at Sweet Frog at 3pm.

I suppose if most kids are using the cafeteria this is harder, but at my kid's school most bring lunch.

[Anonymous]

I also like the one lunch period option. I love that there is a guaranteed time my kids could see teachers in classes where they needed assistance or to meet for some reason. And, for all of the same reasons PP 8:16 said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WJ does, they overrun Wildwood shopping center until 12. They are allowed to get food and supposed to take it back to the cafeteria, which they do at Chipotle, Flippin side of OGR because there's a security officer there, but at Wildwood Balduccis side, they get use Flower Child and Piccolo as a cafeteria. It's REALLY annoying and I wish the restaurants would complain.

It's really crazy area at that time. Avoid if you want non crazyish lunch hour.

I had to wait at the Starbucks the other day between appointments and I have to say it really wasn't bad. I expected much worse. It is hard to drive in the area because there is a stream of high schoolers crossing Old Georgetown on their way to and from school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Churchill does for Seniors.

I once was at the Giant near WJ at lunchtime and there were kids in line in front of and behind me buying drinks and chips and stuff. They were super obnoxious, at one point throwing stuff over me to the others. When they saw my face they said "Oh. Sorry. Ma'am." I was maybe 32. So I've got a mental block on going there during lunch time. It's been more than 10 years. I hope my teen wouldn't act like that!

Ok, maybe my bar is really low but they apologized and called you ma’am. That doesn’t exactly sound like unruly behavior from a bunch of teenagers.

+1 sounds fine to me too

Yes your bar is low. Let me see my kid in a grocery store throwing anything and then to be throwing it over someone. SMH.

No, obviously throwing things in the store and especially over someone is not great. But they politely apologized according to the post. Bigger picture I really don’t see how this is evidence that they should have to stay in the severely overcrowded school for lunch.

Now in Giant they have to carry a pass that identifies them as students and they are not allowed to carry backpacks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WJ does, they overrun Wildwood shopping center until 12. They are allowed to get food and supposed to take it back to the cafeteria, which they do at Chipotle, Flippin side of OGR because there's a security officer there, but at Wildwood Balduccis side, they get use Flower Child and Piccolo as a cafeteria. It's REALLY annoying and I wish the restaurants would complain.

They are not going to complain in hopes of business.

They probably have already complained or informed school. And then what? Nothing.

They complained at the giant side and now they have a limited number of students that can enter the giant at once, and the VP and a security guard stand outside of flippin pizza to ensure that students buy their food and go back to the school. They are not allowed to eat at the restaurant. But on the balduccis side they do sit. Go to flower child and they will be eating everything but flower child at the outdoor tables. They go to Bethesda bagels and eat it at piccolo. They also bring pizza slices from the school cafeteria to the restaurants. So they did complain and something changed, but only on one side of the street. But the balduccis side they ignored.

[Anonymous]

[twitter]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WJ does, they overrun Wildwood shopping center until 12. They are allowed to get food and supposed to take it back to the cafeteria, which they do at Chipotle, Flippin side of OGR because there's a security officer there, but at Wildwood Balduccis side, they get use Flower Child and Piccolo as a cafeteria. It's REALLY annoying and I wish the restaurants would complain.

They are not going to complain in hopes of business.

They probably have already complained or informed school. And then what? Nothing.

They complained at the giant side and now they have a limited number of students that can enter the giant at once, and the VP and a security guard stand outside of flippin pizza to ensure that students buy their food and go back to the school. They are not allowed to eat at the restaurant. But on the balduccis side they do sit. Go to flower child and they will be eating everything but flower child at the outdoor tables. They go to Bethesda bagels and eat it at piccolo. They also bring pizza slices from the school cafeteria to the restaurants. So they did complain and something changed, but only on one side of the street. But the balduccis side they ignored.

I’ve never seen this and it seems so unlikely to me. My kid goes for fish taco somethings but by the time you get out of the school, walk all the way over, and get your food, you need to head back and eat it on the way.

If that is happening, the restaurants should tell them to leave if they did not buy food there. I think most of the restaurants are glad of the business as there isn’t a huge lunch crowd otherwise. There’s just that one office building. As someone who works downtown, let me tell you — having businesses stay open is no small thing. More than half our lunch places never reopened after COVID and we’ve lost a couple more recently.

The Giant was a different problem and I agree there was some impolite behavior there — I think it just felt more casual there because not a restaurant so the kids were not reading the room correctly..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Churchill does for Seniors.

I once was at the Giant near WJ at lunchtime and there were kids in line in front of and behind me buying drinks and chips and stuff. They were super obnoxious, at one point throwing stuff over me to the others. When they saw my face they said "Oh. Sorry. Ma'am." I was maybe 32. So I've got a mental block on going there during lunch time. It's been more than 10 years. I hope my teen wouldn't act like that!

Ok, maybe my bar is really low but they apologized and called you ma’am. That doesn’t exactly sound like unruly behavior from a bunch of teenagers.

+1 sounds fine to me too

Yes your bar is low. Let me see my kid in a grocery store throwing anything and then to be throwing it over someone. SMH.

No, obviously throwing things in the store and especially over someone is not great. But they politely apologized according to the post. Bigger picture I really don’t see how this is evidence that they should have to stay in the severely overcrowded school for lunch.

Now in Giant they have to carry a pass that identifies them as students and they are not allowed to carry backpacks.

Giant has the same policies in DC for the many private schools with open lunch

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS needs to do what most other states do: 30min lunches in shifts.

And don’t come back with “all students need the same lunch for clubs.” BS. Clubs can meet after school. I’m a teacher who runs multiple clubs and after-school clubs works. If kids don’t want to stay after school, they don’t have to participate.

Expecting 2500-3000 kids to have the same lunch is madness and is not efficient for all students to be able to eat lunch on campus

The 30-minute, staggered lunches was the norm was I was in MCPS in the 90s. So it’s not unheard of in this county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Einstein does

No, they don’t. It is closed but if students choose to leave they will not stop or enforce it. Weak principal

Principal is not going to stop your Larlo from leaving because there are thousands more students to monitor.

My Larlo does not leave campus and follows the rules. This is why kids are out of control. Adults refuse to enforce their rules.

Kindly volunteer for your taxes to be raised so we can pay for more security guards to enforce closed campuses. I wish all Larlos/as were as obedient as your Larlo, but they are not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS needs to do what most other states do: 30min lunches in shifts.

And don’t come back with “all students need the same lunch for clubs.” BS. Clubs can meet after school. I’m a teacher who runs multiple clubs and after-school clubs works. If kids don’t want to stay after school, they don’t have to participate.

Expecting 2500-3000 kids to have the same lunch is madness and is not efficient for all students to be able to eat lunch on campus

Parent of high schooler here.

I vastly prefer the all one lunch model. My kid does a school sport and a club sport. They do activities. After school is busy. We go to our home school but it's super important to get as much into the day as possible for kids who don't live in boundary so they can get home (talking about Blair and Wheaton and RM, etc...). At an everyone-lunch they can see ALL friends if they choose, or they can do club + teacher help or teacher help + eat. I think what happens during 30 minute lunches is kids are even less likely to be able to eat.

Also lots of kids have to work or pick up siblings after school. Clubs during lunch is a lot of inclusive and equitable because it enables participation for everyone. This is probably the most important thing. I am sure lots of kids "want" to do a club but can't because mom said I have to pick up my brother or I have to go to work at Sweet Frog at 3pm.

I suppose if most kids are using the cafeteria this is harder, but at my kid's school most bring lunch.

Cafeterias are purposely built too small to serve a school's full capacity at once these days. One way to save on construction costs. Woodward is clocking in at $208 Million. High Schools are crazy expensive to build. Think what it will cost with Trump's tariffs.