Anonymous
05/16/2026 18:06
Subject: TT trying to eliminate open lunch
Anonymous wrote:I think open lunches should go away. Too many security and attendance issues. Has anyone checked the schooo insurance premiums lately? I’m sure they are higher.
Given what we know about how students learn best, 45-60 min to wander all over town is NOT it.
??? MCPS is self insured. No policy. Payouts come out of budget.
Anonymous
05/16/2026 17:53
Subject: TT trying to eliminate open lunch
I’m genuinely shocked that many of y’all are protesting so hard over open lunch. Of all the things. Open lunch?? Even if it weren’t true that limiting outside access to our schools as much as possible weren’t a real safety concern, is this really the hill you want to die on? If so, please help me understand why.
Anonymous
05/16/2026 17:10
Subject: TT trying to eliminate open lunch
I think open lunches should go away. Too many security and attendance issues. Has anyone checked the schooo insurance premiums lately? I’m sure they are higher.
Given what we know about how students learn best, 45-60 min to wander all over town is NOT it.
Given what we know about how students learn best, 45-60 min to wander all over town is NOT it.
Anonymous
05/16/2026 12:24
Subject: Re:TT trying to eliminate open lunch
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:(I use "you" to refer to everyone in this thread against open lunch) Hi, I'm a freshman at BCC. I leave the school every day for open lunch, and I'd like to address some of your criticisms of open lunch. First, I'd like to start with the issue of being late due to the short lunch period. BCC's lunch period is 55 minutes, and with the passing period added, it's an hour. Second, the issue of places to eat within 5-10 minutes of the campus. You may not live in or be well acquainted with downtown Bethesda. Still, within a 5-10-minute walk of the campus, there are multiple restaurants/places to eat: Andy's, Jean's deli, Sprout, Lidl (for pre-prepared foods), &Pizza, Crescent convenience store (close to the metro), Dunkin' Donuts, Simona cafe, Subway, Starbucks, 7-11, Sister's Sandwiches. The list goes on, but the common denominator among all these places is that they all cost under $15. I'm not saying your kid has to get food out every day, but for a weekly meal, these are all easy to get to. Third, regarding students entering class late, I'll admit that I'm guilty of entering the school near the end of the lunch period, but when I do, I see at most 20 kids walking in at 12:00 pm. If you mean to say that students are entering the class itself late, that's an issue with skipping class, not open lunch.
If you take into account BCC's population of 2500 students, having them all in the school will lead to crowded classrooms and hallways, lower sun exposure, and space for clubs. There are ~110 classrooms in the school, meaning that every classroom would have at least 22 students in it, which lowers space for clubs and direct student assistance. If 20 teachers are holding test retakes and another 10 are in their planning period, as well as 10 who are directly assisting students, the number of students in a classroom on average is 35. That spills into the hallways, causing crowding and boredom. Sun exposure is vital to learning because it boosts mood and increases focus. When you take a walk, eat, and talk with your friends, it increases your mood and therefore makes it easier for you to learn. If I stay inside the building all day, I tend to stop focusing on learning after lunch; this is easily remedied by a quick walk outside of the school. My third point is that without open lunch, clubs wouldn't be able to find somewhere to meet. If 22.5 students fill a classroom, on average, there is no world where a medium to large-sized club will find space; most clubs have 10 members, and student unions such as LSU, ASU, and JSU will often have 20+ students; the students will have nowhere to meet, which lowers the student community, which would eventually lead to students forming clicks and rates of bullying increasing because students wouldn't have any mixing based on interest.
Before you answer any of my points on overcrowding, please look inside the school, or at least look at a map of it.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to ask!
Also if you haven't visited BCC or the area around it in depth in a while, please consider it!
Every other school manages just fine. Personally my kids are not spending $15 a day for lunch and your parents failed to teach you about money if you do daily.
(sorry quoted wrong)
Where do i say you have to spend money? You can sit and eat outside, with your own food. I'm saying that students should be allowed to go off campus at lunch, not necessarily have to spend money.
Anonymous
05/16/2026 12:21
Subject: Re:TT trying to eliminate open lunch
Every other school manages just fine. Personally my kids are not spending $15 a day for lunch and your parents failed to teach you about money if you do daily.
Where do i say you have to spend money? You can sit and eat outside, with your own food. I'm saying that students should be allowed to go off campus at lunch, not necessarily have to spend money.
Anonymous
05/16/2026 10:50
Subject: Re:TT trying to eliminate open lunch
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:A petition has officially been launched regarding the proposed accelerated changes to MCPS Open Lunch policy and the discussion around shortening the normal public comment period.
Whether you support open lunch or not, this should concern every parent, student, educator, and taxpayer.
Reducing transparency and limiting community input on major school policy decisions sets a dangerous precedent. Important decisions that impact student schedules, academic support, clubs, teachers, and the structure of the school day should not be rushed through with reduced public engagement.
Transparency matters.
Public trust matters.
Community input matters.
Please take a moment to sign and share the petition:
https://www.change.org/p/stop-mcps-from-rushing-changes-to-open-lunch-without-proper-community-input
The more voices that are heard now, the harder it will be to ignore the community later.
Listen, the points on transparency and accountability, etc. are valid. But you have got to be kidding yourself if you think that raising a stink means MCPS won't ignore the community.
They have a track record of ignoring the community loudly on:
- Not taking away the opt-out for LGBT books
- Not shutting down MVA
- Not rushing the Regional Program Model
- Not relocating Wootton
They ignore petitions, protests and passionate emails. So while you are more than free to do those things, don't delude yourself that those things will move MCPS in anyway. MCPS does what it wants regardless of community input.
Folks need to understand that this petition is going no where. Just the other week people were screaming about making campuses safer and keeping kids safe during school hours. So here you go. Not to mention, plenty of the HS in the county don’t have open lunch.
Nothing about open lunches is unsafe. Why do you keep parroting this?
Anonymous
05/16/2026 07:07
Subject: Re:TT trying to eliminate open lunch
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:A petition has officially been launched regarding the proposed accelerated changes to MCPS Open Lunch policy and the discussion around shortening the normal public comment period.
Whether you support open lunch or not, this should concern every parent, student, educator, and taxpayer.
Reducing transparency and limiting community input on major school policy decisions sets a dangerous precedent. Important decisions that impact student schedules, academic support, clubs, teachers, and the structure of the school day should not be rushed through with reduced public engagement.
Transparency matters.
Public trust matters.
Community input matters.
Please take a moment to sign and share the petition:
https://www.change.org/p/stop-mcps-from-rushing-changes-to-open-lunch-without-proper-community-input
The more voices that are heard now, the harder it will be to ignore the community later.
Listen, the points on transparency and accountability, etc. are valid. But you have got to be kidding yourself if you think that raising a stink means MCPS won't ignore the community.
They have a track record of ignoring the community loudly on:
- Not taking away the opt-out for LGBT books
- Not shutting down MVA
- Not rushing the Regional Program Model
- Not relocating Wootton
They ignore petitions, protests and passionate emails. So while you are more than free to do those things, don't delude yourself that those things will move MCPS in anyway. MCPS does what it wants regardless of community input.
Folks need to understand that this petition is going no where. Just the other week people were screaming about making campuses safer and keeping kids safe during school hours. So here you go. Not to mention, plenty of the HS in the county don’t have open lunch.
Anonymous
05/15/2026 17:37
Subject: Re:TT trying to eliminate open lunch
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:A petition has officially been launched regarding the proposed accelerated changes to MCPS Open Lunch policy and the discussion around shortening the normal public comment period.
Whether you support open lunch or not, this should concern every parent, student, educator, and taxpayer.
Reducing transparency and limiting community input on major school policy decisions sets a dangerous precedent. Important decisions that impact student schedules, academic support, clubs, teachers, and the structure of the school day should not be rushed through with reduced public engagement.
Transparency matters.
Public trust matters.
Community input matters.
Please take a moment to sign and share the petition:
https://www.change.org/p/stop-mcps-from-rushing-changes-to-open-lunch-without-proper-community-input
The more voices that are heard now, the harder it will be to ignore the community later.
Listen, the points on transparency and accountability, etc. are valid. But you have got to be kidding yourself if you think that raising a stink means MCPS won't ignore the community.
They have a track record of ignoring the community loudly on:
- Not taking away the opt-out for LGBT books
- Not shutting down MVA
- Not rushing the Regional Program Model
- Not relocating Wootton
They ignore petitions, protests and passionate emails. So while you are more than free to do those things, don't delude yourself that those things will move MCPS in anyway. MCPS does what it wants regardless of community input.
Opt-outs, MVA, and Wootton were niche complaints from small numbers of parents. Students who need accelerated learning are a much large group.
Students who need accelerated learning are also a niche group.
Anonymous
05/15/2026 16:34
Subject: TT trying to eliminate open lunch
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The safety concern is such a joke. My kids go to WJ.
No one checks their ID going into the school. If you hold a piece of paper shaped like an ID or a credit card up, they let you in.
You can easily jump over the fence to get in/out of campus.
If they cared about safety, there are tons of things they could do. The kids that want to fight are going to do that on campus or just leave campus and do it—they don’t care if it’s open lunch or closed lunch.
And I am very doubtful that the majority of businesses oppose getting these kids business. If they don’t want it, they could just decline to admit HS students. Has anyone polled the businesses at G Square, Wildwood and RTC, for instance? Their revenue will really drop.
Uh....I'm not sure that would be legally defensible.
Sure it would. A private business can decline to serve anyone so long as it doesn’t violate anti discrimination laws. Being a teenager is not a protected class. Giant already limits the number of HS kids in there at any given time.
Limiting the number of kids allowed in at one time is different from outright banning them.
From a legal perspective, not really. Limiting access is burdening one class of customer. That's totally fine because teenagers are not a protected class under any of the applicable public accommodations laws. You couldn't say "we're only allowing in 20 people of this particular race" anymore than you could ban people of a particular race, because both would violate the public accommodations laws in the federal and state civil rights acts (eg Title II of the 1964 Civil Rights Act). But you can say that you are limited the number of HS students in the store/restaurant, or banning them altogether, if you would like. The truth is that most of these eating establishments are happy to have the students, particularly in the 11-12 hour which is before the main lunch rush, because it is good stable revenue for them. Giant made a different decision because they have a much wider revenue base, the kids weren't buying the expensive groceries, and they have different concerns about shop lifting, for instance. But I'd be very, very surprised if Flippin', Subway, Chipotle, Chop't, and Bethesda Bagels oppose the open lunch policy at WJ. And same for the pizza place and Panera at RTC for RM, and the pizza place and Starbucks near BCC.
Anonymous
05/15/2026 15:29
Subject: Re:TT trying to eliminate open lunch
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:A petition has officially been launched regarding the proposed accelerated changes to MCPS Open Lunch policy and the discussion around shortening the normal public comment period.
Whether you support open lunch or not, this should concern every parent, student, educator, and taxpayer.
Reducing transparency and limiting community input on major school policy decisions sets a dangerous precedent. Important decisions that impact student schedules, academic support, clubs, teachers, and the structure of the school day should not be rushed through with reduced public engagement.
Transparency matters.
Public trust matters.
Community input matters.
Please take a moment to sign and share the petition:
https://www.change.org/p/stop-mcps-from-rushing-changes-to-open-lunch-without-proper-community-input
The more voices that are heard now, the harder it will be to ignore the community later.
Listen, the points on transparency and accountability, etc. are valid. But you have got to be kidding yourself if you think that raising a stink means MCPS won't ignore the community.
They have a track record of ignoring the community loudly on:
- Not taking away the opt-out for LGBT books
- Not shutting down MVA
- Not rushing the Regional Program Model
- Not relocating Wootton
They ignore petitions, protests and passionate emails. So while you are more than free to do those things, don't delude yourself that those things will move MCPS in anyway. MCPS does what it wants regardless of community input.
Wootton makes sense to go to a new, safe, clean building.
Regional model is terrible and will cause more inequities.
Parents should have say in what their kids learn. Most of us pull not opt out but if you want your beliefs respected, respect others.
Crown won’t be maintained either. When the Crown HVAC needs repair, there won’t be any money for that.
No, but you are starting with a new hvac system vs what is at Wootton and other schools. We’d be thrilled to get a new building.
Unless the hvac is the defective one that other schools got.
Anonymous
05/15/2026 15:26
Subject: Re:TT trying to eliminate open lunch
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:A petition has officially been launched regarding the proposed accelerated changes to MCPS Open Lunch policy and the discussion around shortening the normal public comment period.
Whether you support open lunch or not, this should concern every parent, student, educator, and taxpayer.
Reducing transparency and limiting community input on major school policy decisions sets a dangerous precedent. Important decisions that impact student schedules, academic support, clubs, teachers, and the structure of the school day should not be rushed through with reduced public engagement.
Transparency matters.
Public trust matters.
Community input matters.
Please take a moment to sign and share the petition:
https://www.change.org/p/stop-mcps-from-rushing-changes-to-open-lunch-without-proper-community-input
The more voices that are heard now, the harder it will be to ignore the community later.
Listen, the points on transparency and accountability, etc. are valid. But you have got to be kidding yourself if you think that raising a stink means MCPS won't ignore the community.
They have a track record of ignoring the community loudly on:
- Not taking away the opt-out for LGBT books
- Not shutting down MVA
- Not rushing the Regional Program Model
- Not relocating Wootton
They ignore petitions, protests and passionate emails. So while you are more than free to do those things, don't delude yourself that those things will move MCPS in anyway. MCPS does what it wants regardless of community input.
Opt-outs, MVA, and Wootton were niche complaints from small numbers of parents. Students who need accelerated learning are a much large group.
Anonymous
05/15/2026 15:04
Subject: Re:TT trying to eliminate open lunch
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:A petition has officially been launched regarding the proposed accelerated changes to MCPS Open Lunch policy and the discussion around shortening the normal public comment period.
Whether you support open lunch or not, this should concern every parent, student, educator, and taxpayer.
Reducing transparency and limiting community input on major school policy decisions sets a dangerous precedent. Important decisions that impact student schedules, academic support, clubs, teachers, and the structure of the school day should not be rushed through with reduced public engagement.
Transparency matters.
Public trust matters.
Community input matters.
Please take a moment to sign and share the petition:
https://www.change.org/p/stop-mcps-from-rushing-changes-to-open-lunch-without-proper-community-input
The more voices that are heard now, the harder it will be to ignore the community later.
Listen, the points on transparency and accountability, etc. are valid. But you have got to be kidding yourself if you think that raising a stink means MCPS won't ignore the community.
They have a track record of ignoring the community loudly on:
- Not taking away the opt-out for LGBT books
- Not shutting down MVA
- Not rushing the Regional Program Model
- Not relocating Wootton
They ignore petitions, protests and passionate emails. So while you are more than free to do those things, don't delude yourself that those things will move MCPS in anyway. MCPS does what it wants regardless of community input.
Wootton makes sense to go to a new, safe, clean building.
Regional model is terrible and will cause more inequities.
Parents should have say in what their kids learn. Most of us pull not opt out but if you want your beliefs respected, respect others.
Crown won’t be maintained either. When the Crown HVAC needs repair, there won’t be any money for that.
No, but you are starting with a new hvac system vs what is at Wootton and other schools. We’d be thrilled to get a new building.
Anonymous
05/15/2026 14:51
Subject: Re:TT trying to eliminate open lunch
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:A petition has officially been launched regarding the proposed accelerated changes to MCPS Open Lunch policy and the discussion around shortening the normal public comment period.
Whether you support open lunch or not, this should concern every parent, student, educator, and taxpayer.
Reducing transparency and limiting community input on major school policy decisions sets a dangerous precedent. Important decisions that impact student schedules, academic support, clubs, teachers, and the structure of the school day should not be rushed through with reduced public engagement.
Transparency matters.
Public trust matters.
Community input matters.
Please take a moment to sign and share the petition:
https://www.change.org/p/stop-mcps-from-rushing-changes-to-open-lunch-without-proper-community-input
The more voices that are heard now, the harder it will be to ignore the community later.
Listen, the points on transparency and accountability, etc. are valid. But you have got to be kidding yourself if you think that raising a stink means MCPS won't ignore the community.
They have a track record of ignoring the community loudly on:
- Not taking away the opt-out for LGBT books
- Not shutting down MVA
- Not rushing the Regional Program Model
- Not relocating Wootton
They ignore petitions, protests and passionate emails. So while you are more than free to do those things, don't delude yourself that those things will move MCPS in anyway. MCPS does what it wants regardless of community input.
Wootton makes sense to go to a new, safe, clean building.
Regional model is terrible and will cause more inequities.
Parents should have say in what their kids learn. Most of us pull not opt out but if you want your beliefs respected, respect others.
Crown won’t be maintained either. When the Crown HVAC needs repair, there won’t be any money for that.
Anonymous
05/15/2026 14:45
Subject: Re:TT trying to eliminate open lunch
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:A petition has officially been launched regarding the proposed accelerated changes to MCPS Open Lunch policy and the discussion around shortening the normal public comment period.
Whether you support open lunch or not, this should concern every parent, student, educator, and taxpayer.
Reducing transparency and limiting community input on major school policy decisions sets a dangerous precedent. Important decisions that impact student schedules, academic support, clubs, teachers, and the structure of the school day should not be rushed through with reduced public engagement.
Transparency matters.
Public trust matters.
Community input matters.
Please take a moment to sign and share the petition:
https://www.change.org/p/stop-mcps-from-rushing-changes-to-open-lunch-without-proper-community-input
The more voices that are heard now, the harder it will be to ignore the community later.
Listen, the points on transparency and accountability, etc. are valid. But you have got to be kidding yourself if you think that raising a stink means MCPS won't ignore the community.
They have a track record of ignoring the community loudly on:
- Not taking away the opt-out for LGBT books
- Not shutting down MVA
- Not rushing the Regional Program Model
- Not relocating Wootton
They ignore petitions, protests and passionate emails. So while you are more than free to do those things, don't delude yourself that those things will move MCPS in anyway. MCPS does what it wants regardless of community input.
Wootton makes sense to go to a new, safe, clean building.
Regional model is terrible and will cause more inequities.
Parents should have say in what their kids learn. Most of us pull not opt out but if you want your beliefs respected, respect others.
Anonymous
05/15/2026 13:52
Subject: Re:TT trying to eliminate open lunch
Anonymous wrote:A petition has officially been launched regarding the proposed accelerated changes to MCPS Open Lunch policy and the discussion around shortening the normal public comment period.
Whether you support open lunch or not, this should concern every parent, student, educator, and taxpayer.
Reducing transparency and limiting community input on major school policy decisions sets a dangerous precedent. Important decisions that impact student schedules, academic support, clubs, teachers, and the structure of the school day should not be rushed through with reduced public engagement.
Transparency matters.
Public trust matters.
Community input matters.
Please take a moment to sign and share the petition:
https://www.change.org/p/stop-mcps-from-rushing-changes-to-open-lunch-without-proper-community-input
The more voices that are heard now, the harder it will be to ignore the community later.
Listen, the points on transparency and accountability, etc. are valid. But you have got to be kidding yourself if you think that raising a stink means MCPS won't ignore the community.
They have a track record of ignoring the community loudly on:
- Not taking away the opt-out for LGBT books
- Not shutting down MVA
- Not rushing the Regional Program Model
- Not relocating Wootton
They ignore petitions, protests and passionate emails. So while you are more than free to do those things, don't delude yourself that those things will move MCPS in anyway. MCPS does what it wants regardless of community input.