Anonymous wrote:Why did the SMOB rep side with closed lunches without a conversation with the kids?

That would not have happened under the prior SMOB, who was much more effective.

None of the HS cafeterias are large enough to hold all the students, so that's a moot point. For those schools with closed lunch, they bring lunch and eat in hallways, classrooms (usually for a club or to meet with a teacher), etc. The kids need to learn to pick up after themselves, and not leave all their after lunch trash lying around - that's how you deter the rodent problem, not by only eating in the cafeteria.

That being said, I am for open lunch (I work in a closed lunch school and my kids attend an open lunch school).

Anonymous wrote:Why did the SMOB rep side with closed lunches without a conversation with the kids?

My understanding is that this is not being presented as the Board voting for closed lunch-- it is being presented as the Board being asked not to limit the Superintendent's decisions on open vs closed lunch.

Honestly in a reasonable school district where Central Office actually listened to students, parents, and staff, it seems appropriate to me to let it be a Superintendent/Central Office decision whether and how to allow open vs closed lunch-- it's just the fact that Taylor and his team don't care about others' perspectives and just bulldoze through whatever they decide is best that makes me inclined to say the Board of Ed should keep its role.

But the Board of Ed (SMOB included) generally seem invested in pretending that MCPS is a reasonably run school district and that Central Office can be trusted to make good decisions that take stakeholder input into consideration. So I'm not at all surprised that they are all supportive of voting to give them greater authority.

Anonymous wrote:Why did the SMOB rep side with closed lunches without a conversation with the kids?

Maybe because they are smart enough to know this isn’t the hill to die on. Or that if they talk to the kids there are already lots they don’t have open lunch who may in fact support things be the same across all campuses. Or maybe they care about safety.

Anonymous wrote:I agree with you 100% OP and it seems to be the M.O. of this Board and MCPS. Ram major decisions through at the last minute to prevent any meaningful debate or questioning -- debate and questioning that can often make the proposals stronger! They're doing the same thing with eliminating compacted math right now...

We don't need to pretend like all opinions and feelings are valid, pp. There's no real need to humor them.

Anonymous wrote:Why did the SMOB rep side with closed lunches without a conversation with the kids?

Because clearly they're not mature enough to sit on the Board. But also, they don't exactly have great role models either!

Why did the SMOB rep side with closed lunches without a conversation with the kids?

NP, and I'm in this post to support the first paragraph of OP's statement. No matter what policy change that needs or needs not be happen, there should be enough discussion, effective community survey to stakeholders (not those pretended ones on regional program roll out), before a BOE vote. This is a country built on democracy, not supremacy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I don't understand why we need to reconsider the existing policy, which is to let Principals decide.

Each community can work with their Principal to open, partially open (for certain grades) or close lunch. It's the best solution, since some schools are islands in the deserts and some are in safe urban areas with restaurants.

I am entirely against a top-down approach and a blanket closure or opening for all schools.

Agree but it is happening on Thursday not sure what we can do at this point. Seems like a done deal. Worried about the aftermath of all the things that need to be re-organized this summer when staff goes on vacation etc. Even less folks will be making major decisions. I am writing my reps right now but none of them are up for re-election and not sure if they care.

PP you replied to. I'm a BCC parent, and BCC is mobilizing: they've had open lunch forever because the cafeteria was never expanded, and it's physically impossible to keep all students in school at lunchtime. Many parents have written to the Superintendent and the Board members to explain why BCC needs to keep open lunch, and some are planning to be present on the day. I hope the Board understands that high schools in MCPS are very different from each other and need their own individual approach, according their own communities' wishes.

I have nothing against the Superintendent, but this was a misstep on his part.

Let the principal decide! Not all schools have food businesses nearby, it should not be one for all policy

Anonymous wrote:
I don't understand why we need to reconsider the existing policy, which is to let Principals decide.

Each community can work with their Principal to open, partially open (for certain grades) or close lunch. It's the best solution, since some schools are islands in the deserts and some are in safe urban areas with restaurants.

I am entirely against a top-down approach and a blanket closure or opening for all schools.

Agree but it is happening on Thursday not sure what we can do at this point. Seems like a done deal. Worried about the aftermath of all the things that need to be re-organized this summer when staff goes on vacation etc. Even less folks will be making major decisions. I am writing my reps right now but none of them are up for re-election and not sure if they care.

I don't understand why we need to reconsider the existing policy, which is to let Principals decide.

Each community can work with their Principal to open, partially open (for certain grades) or close lunch. It's the best solution, since some schools are islands in the deserts and some are in safe urban areas with restaurants.

I am entirely against a top-down approach and a blanket closure or opening for all schools.

Disagree - our school opened up lunch this year and allows uber drivers. Its only a matter of time seeing it all before something happens, especially with the uber drivers. Closed lunch works fine.

I agree with you 100% OP and it seems to be the M.O. of this Board and MCPS. Ram major decisions through at the last minute to prevent any meaningful debate or questioning -- debate and questioning that can often make the proposals stronger! They're doing the same thing with eliminating compacted math right now...

The concern is not just the policy itself, but the process. And both sides should agree that big issues & decisions deserve the proper allotted time for feedback period & review.

A significant change to the open lunch policy deserves transparent discussion and meaningful input from students, staff, parents, principals, and the broader community. So far, that has not happened and with a Thursday vote approaching, it may not happen at all unless more people speak up now.

The moment we say yes to closed lunches, a cascade of brand new decisions have to be made in an incredibly shortened time during summer period. This decision could immediately trigger a major reshuffling of lunch schedules in large schools whose cafeterias cannot accommodate all students at once. That raises real questions families deserve answers to before a vote:
What time will students now eat lunch? 7:45 AM? 10:00 AM? How will this affect class availability? Security?
How will schedules be adjusted? Where will the kids eat? How will we deal with the rodent & cockroach issues many schools are already facing with more food & lunch spots spread throughout the building?
What happens to club meetings, teacher access, and legally mandated accommodations like extended time? Kids who rely on lunch time teacher support because they have an after school responsibility?

Whether you support or oppose open lunch, these are substantial operational and student-life impacts that deserve thoughtful public discussion before decisions are finalized. You may be for a closed lunch but are you for all the changes that comes with it?

The timing also matters. With AP exams, prom, graduations, beach weekends, and countless end-of-year events happening simultaneously, many students and families are unaware this vote is even taking place.

Watch this video and decide for yourself:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peOdt8LZV9Q
When you see it you'll notice that rather than expanding opportunities for community feedback, portions of the discussion in this video appear focused on shortening the public comment period. Why is that? Why the rush?

Regardless of where you stand on open lunch itself, I hope we can all agree that a longer and more visible public comment period is warranted before making a decision that will affect thousands of students and families.

If you believe issues affecting our kids deserve proper time, transparency, and meaningful public input, please speak up and ask for a fair and adequate feedback period before this vote moves forward. You can send a note to the folks here to request more time for big issues no matter what side you are on.

Graciela_Rivera-oven@mcpsmd.org

Brenda_Wolff@mcpsmd.org

Rita_M_Montoya@mcpsmd.org

Karla_Silvestre@mcpsmd.org

Laura_M_Stewart@mcpsmd.org

natalie_zimmerman@mcpsmd.org

Anuva_C_Maloo@mcpsmd.org