Anonymous
Post 05/18/2026 23:15     Subject: TT trying to eliminate open lunch

I don’t understand why we would want a one-size-fits-all policy. This can be handled at the school level. And I am hearing that Taylor is pushing for multiple lunch periods at all schools, which really concerns me — that would make it really hard to hold clubs during lunch and would mean that some teachers aren’t available for make-up work and support. My kid depends on that for his extended time
accommodation.
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2026 22:27     Subject: TT trying to eliminate open lunch

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So this is my perception of the issue.

People who want to preserve open lunch in the schools that have it:
-principals
-teachers
-parents
-students
-most nearby food business owners

People who want to end open lunch :
-Brenda Wolff
-Natalie Zimmerman
-Thomas Taylor
-a few local business owners
-a few whiny karens who hate teens but also chose to live right by a high school.

Seems to me that all the people who want to end open lunch are not the actual individuals who participate in open lunch and/or spend time in our school buildings, but want to make decisions for others.


Keep dreaming, Deatrice.

There are parents, students and teachers on both sides of the issue.

I know you're crapping bricks because you're about to lose open lunch, but don't make things up just to make yourself feel or look better.


Find me one student currently at an open lunch school who wants their school to lose that privilege.


There are many kids who don't like the safety issues that come with Open Lunch. You just don't bother to listen to them.


I would totally listen to them if they existed but you made them up in your imagination. Just as you made up this new narrative that there are safety issues that exist because of open lunch and that schools with closed lunch are safer in some measurable way.

No, I didn't make them up.

Many kids don't like to go out for Open Lunch due to the crowds, fights and bad behaviors that happen during Open Lunch. Some of that is because those kids are more introverted and/or shy and some of that is because their parents warn them about such things. Especially if your child is of an immigrant background.

You are showing your white, liberal bias and the fact that you can't imagine some students preferring closed lunch, even though there are children who eat in the cafeterias in schools with Open Lunch everyday, says more about you than the kids you claim don't exist.


You just keep making up more and more things. If kids don’t want to leave for open lunch, they can stay inside! Many do!

And it’s appalling that you made a racial assumption about me based on nothing, weaponized your assumption in a derogatory way, and spoke for all introverts and children of immigrants as though they are a monolith.


So you admit there are already kids who don't go out during Open Lunch and therefore would not be opposed to ending the Open Lunch policy?


I said nothing of the sort. I said if there are kids who wish to eat inside, they have that option. I did not say that kids who choose to eat inside the building would want to end the option for open lunch. I don’t think that’s true at all. I have a kid in an open lunch school who goes out maybe once a month, but is a huge proponent of keeping the privilege/option.


You are tying yourself up in knots like a pretzel.

You made the claim that ALL students want to keep open lunch. I challenged you on that absolutist claim as there are indeed kids who would be fine with MCPS ending open lunch, as evidenced by the fact that many kids already make the decision to operate under a closed lunch model by not leaving the school during the lunch period.

You argued that was a lie.

Parents, students and teachers are a monolith on nothing when it comes to MCPS. There are people on both sides of every debate. That you pretend otherwise makes you disingenuous in your argument.
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2026 22:23     Subject: TT trying to eliminate open lunch

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:



"Many kids don't like to go out for Open Lunch due to the crowds, fights and bad behaviors that happen during Open Lunch. Some of that is because those kids are more introverted and/or shy and some of that is because their parents warn them about such things. Especially if your child is of an immigrant background."

This is a non-issue because no one is forcing anyone to leave campus during open lunch. Kids can choose to stay at school and eat in the cafeteria (school lunch or packed lunch). In fact, it's probably much more pleasant for these students to remain in the cafeteria or another part of the building when a large number of other students are off campus because it is much less crowded. It seems to me that the fights and bad behaviors you speak of that occur during Open lunch would simply happen inside the building if all students were trapped inside the building.

Open lunch in no way prohibits or stigmatizes shy students who do not wish to partake in the privilege of going off campus for lunch.



It does when kids cannot afford it.


You might be surprised to learn that MANY high schoolers have jobs and earn spending money even if their families are lower income. You might also be surprised that kids can bring a homemade lunch or a free school lunch and can sit somewhere near the school. You might also be surprised that kids find all kinds of cheap options like stuff from Aldi. And some might only buy a cold drink and not an entire meal if they go out.


My WJ kids bring lunch from home every day, but leave school during lunch break with friends who may or may not buy lunch. There is no stigma either way. They appreciate being able to walk outside and get away from the crowded school for a bit.
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2026 20:41     Subject: TT trying to eliminate open lunch

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:



"Many kids don't like to go out for Open Lunch due to the crowds, fights and bad behaviors that happen during Open Lunch. Some of that is because those kids are more introverted and/or shy and some of that is because their parents warn them about such things. Especially if your child is of an immigrant background."

This is a non-issue because no one is forcing anyone to leave campus during open lunch. Kids can choose to stay at school and eat in the cafeteria (school lunch or packed lunch). In fact, it's probably much more pleasant for these students to remain in the cafeteria or another part of the building when a large number of other students are off campus because it is much less crowded. It seems to me that the fights and bad behaviors you speak of that occur during Open lunch would simply happen inside the building if all students were trapped inside the building.

Open lunch in no way prohibits or stigmatizes shy students who do not wish to partake in the privilege of going off campus for lunch.



It does when kids cannot afford it.


You might be surprised to learn that MANY high schoolers have jobs and earn spending money even if their families are lower income. You might also be surprised that kids can bring a homemade lunch or a free school lunch and can sit somewhere near the school. You might also be surprised that kids find all kinds of cheap options like stuff from Aldi. And some might only buy a cold drink and not an entire meal if they go out.


You might be surprised that some of us teach our kids about the value of money. My kids work summers and it goes into their Roth and for college. Most low income aren’t. Be real.
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2026 20:40     Subject: TT trying to eliminate open lunch

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:He won't be able to, kids will revolt. There is literally no space for every high schooler to eat inside, unless you want to do it East Asian style, where every kid eats at his desk!


How tiny are HS cafeterias that they can't fit 400ish kids at a time?


Let's do the math which is not mcps' forte:
2400 kids +/-
And you want 400 kids per lunch period?
That's lunch spread over 6 periods.
So, students should get a lunch period at 2nd period which starts before 9am?


WJ has about 3000 so more like 7 periods.


WJ is having a reduction in students.
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2026 20:38     Subject: TT trying to eliminate open lunch

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:



"Many kids don't like to go out for Open Lunch due to the crowds, fights and bad behaviors that happen during Open Lunch. Some of that is because those kids are more introverted and/or shy and some of that is because their parents warn them about such things. Especially if your child is of an immigrant background."

This is a non-issue because no one is forcing anyone to leave campus during open lunch. Kids can choose to stay at school and eat in the cafeteria (school lunch or packed lunch). In fact, it's probably much more pleasant for these students to remain in the cafeteria or another part of the building when a large number of other students are off campus because it is much less crowded. It seems to me that the fights and bad behaviors you speak of that occur during Open lunch would simply happen inside the building if all students were trapped inside the building.

Open lunch in no way prohibits or stigmatizes shy students who do not wish to partake in the privilege of going off campus for lunch.



It does when kids cannot afford it.


You might be surprised to learn that MANY high schoolers have jobs and earn spending money even if their families are lower income. You might also be surprised that kids can bring a homemade lunch or a free school lunch and can sit somewhere near the school. You might also be surprised that kids find all kinds of cheap options like stuff from Aldi. And some might only buy a cold drink and not an entire meal if they go out.
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2026 20:31     Subject: TT trying to eliminate open lunch

Anonymous wrote:



"Many kids don't like to go out for Open Lunch due to the crowds, fights and bad behaviors that happen during Open Lunch. Some of that is because those kids are more introverted and/or shy and some of that is because their parents warn them about such things. Especially if your child is of an immigrant background."

This is a non-issue because no one is forcing anyone to leave campus during open lunch. Kids can choose to stay at school and eat in the cafeteria (school lunch or packed lunch). In fact, it's probably much more pleasant for these students to remain in the cafeteria or another part of the building when a large number of other students are off campus because it is much less crowded. It seems to me that the fights and bad behaviors you speak of that occur during Open lunch would simply happen inside the building if all students were trapped inside the building.

Open lunch in no way prohibits or stigmatizes shy students who do not wish to partake in the privilege of going off campus for lunch.



It does when kids cannot afford it.
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2026 20:02     Subject: TT trying to eliminate open lunch

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So this is my perception of the issue.

People who want to preserve open lunch in the schools that have it:
-principals
-teachers
-parents
-students
-most nearby food business owners

People who want to end open lunch :
-Brenda Wolff
-Natalie Zimmerman
-Thomas Taylor
-a few local business owners
-a few whiny karens who hate teens but also chose to live right by a high school.

Seems to me that all the people who want to end open lunch are not the actual individuals who participate in open lunch and/or spend time in our school buildings, but want to make decisions for others.


Keep dreaming, Deatrice.

There are parents, students and teachers on both sides of the issue.

I know you're crapping bricks because you're about to lose open lunch, but don't make things up just to make yourself feel or look better.


Find me one student currently at an open lunch school who wants their school to lose that privilege.


There are many kids who don't like the safety issues that come with Open Lunch. You just don't bother to listen to them.


I would totally listen to them if they existed but you made them up in your imagination. Just as you made up this new narrative that there are safety issues that exist because of open lunch and that schools with closed lunch are safer in some measurable way.

No, I didn't make them up.

Many kids don't like to go out for Open Lunch due to the crowds, fights and bad behaviors that happen during Open Lunch. Some of that is because those kids are more introverted and/or shy and some of that is because their parents warn them about such things. Especially if your child is of an immigrant background.

You are showing your white, liberal bias and the fact that you can't imagine some students preferring closed lunch, even though there are children who eat in the cafeterias in schools with Open Lunch everyday, says more about you than the kids you claim don't exist.


You just keep making up more and more things. If kids don’t want to leave for open lunch, they can stay inside! Many do!

And it’s appalling that you made a racial assumption about me based on nothing, weaponized your assumption in a derogatory way, and spoke for all introverts and children of immigrants as though they are a monolith.


So you admit there are already kids who don't go out during Open Lunch and therefore would not be opposed to ending the Open Lunch policy?


I said nothing of the sort. I said if there are kids who wish to eat inside, they have that option. I did not say that kids who choose to eat inside the building would want to end the option for open lunch. I don’t think that’s true at all. I have a kid in an open lunch school who goes out maybe once a month, but is a huge proponent of keeping the privilege/option.
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2026 19:47     Subject: TT trying to eliminate open lunch

I'm fine with Open Lunch as long as the doors to the school are locked the second lunch is over and those students not back in the building are told to go home and try again the next day
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2026 18:50     Subject: TT trying to eliminate open lunch





"Many kids don't like to go out for Open Lunch due to the crowds, fights and bad behaviors that happen during Open Lunch. Some of that is because those kids are more introverted and/or shy and some of that is because their parents warn them about such things. Especially if your child is of an immigrant background."

This is a non-issue because no one is forcing anyone to leave campus during open lunch. Kids can choose to stay at school and eat in the cafeteria (school lunch or packed lunch). In fact, it's probably much more pleasant for these students to remain in the cafeteria or another part of the building when a large number of other students are off campus because it is much less crowded. It seems to me that the fights and bad behaviors you speak of that occur during Open lunch would simply happen inside the building if all students were trapped inside the building.

Open lunch in no way prohibits or stigmatizes shy students who do not wish to partake in the privilege of going off campus for lunch.

Anonymous
Post 05/18/2026 18:44     Subject: TT trying to eliminate open lunch

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So this is my perception of the issue.

People who want to preserve open lunch in the schools that have it:
-principals
-teachers
-parents
-students
-most nearby food business owners

People who want to end open lunch :
-Brenda Wolff
-Natalie Zimmerman
-Thomas Taylor
-a few local business owners
-a few whiny karens who hate teens but also chose to live right by a high school.

Seems to me that all the people who want to end open lunch are not the actual individuals who participate in open lunch and/or spend time in our school buildings, but want to make decisions for others.


Yes, amen to this.


Exactly!
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2026 17:56     Subject: TT trying to eliminate open lunch

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So this is my perception of the issue.

People who want to preserve open lunch in the schools that have it:
-principals
-teachers
-parents
-students
-most nearby food business owners

People who want to end open lunch :
-Brenda Wolff
-Natalie Zimmerman
-Thomas Taylor
-a few local business owners
-a few whiny karens who hate teens but also chose to live right by a high school.

Seems to me that all the people who want to end open lunch are not the actual individuals who participate in open lunch and/or spend time in our school buildings, but want to make decisions for others.


Keep dreaming, Deatrice.

There are parents, students and teachers on both sides of the issue.

I know you're crapping bricks because you're about to lose open lunch, but don't make things up just to make yourself feel or look better.


Find me one student currently at an open lunch school who wants their school to lose that privilege.


There are many kids who don't like the safety issues that come with Open Lunch. You just don't bother to listen to them.


I would totally listen to them if they existed but you made them up in your imagination. Just as you made up this new narrative that there are safety issues that exist because of open lunch and that schools with closed lunch are safer in some measurable way.

No, I didn't make them up.

Many kids don't like to go out for Open Lunch due to the crowds, fights and bad behaviors that happen during Open Lunch. Some of that is because those kids are more introverted and/or shy and some of that is because their parents warn them about such things. Especially if your child is of an immigrant background.

You are showing your white, liberal bias and the fact that you can't imagine some students preferring closed lunch, even though there are children who eat in the cafeterias in schools with Open Lunch everyday, says more about you than the kids you claim don't exist.


You just keep making up more and more things. If kids don’t want to leave for open lunch, they can stay inside! Many do!

And it’s appalling that you made a racial assumption about me based on nothing, weaponized your assumption in a derogatory way, and spoke for all introverts and children of immigrants as though they are a monolith.


So you admit there are already kids who don't go out during Open Lunch and therefore would not be opposed to ending the Open Lunch policy?
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2026 17:17     Subject: TT trying to eliminate open lunch

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So this is my perception of the issue.

People who want to preserve open lunch in the schools that have it:
-principals
-teachers
-parents
-students
-most nearby food business owners

People who want to end open lunch :
-Brenda Wolff
-Natalie Zimmerman
-Thomas Taylor
-a few local business owners
-a few whiny karens who hate teens but also chose to live right by a high school.

Seems to me that all the people who want to end open lunch are not the actual individuals who participate in open lunch and/or spend time in our school buildings, but want to make decisions for others.


Keep dreaming, Deatrice.

There are parents, students and teachers on both sides of the issue.

I know you're crapping bricks because you're about to lose open lunch, but don't make things up just to make yourself feel or look better.


Find me one student currently at an open lunch school who wants their school to lose that privilege.


There are many kids who don't like the safety issues that come with Open Lunch. You just don't bother to listen to them.


I would totally listen to them if they existed but you made them up in your imagination. Just as you made up this new narrative that there are safety issues that exist because of open lunch and that schools with closed lunch are safer in some measurable way.

No, I didn't make them up.

Many kids don't like to go out for Open Lunch due to the crowds, fights and bad behaviors that happen during Open Lunch. Some of that is because those kids are more introverted and/or shy and some of that is because their parents warn them about such things. Especially if your child is of an immigrant background.

You are showing your white, liberal bias and the fact that you can't imagine some students preferring closed lunch, even though there are children who eat in the cafeterias in schools with Open Lunch everyday, says more about you than the kids you claim don't exist.


You just keep making up more and more things. If kids don’t want to leave for open lunch, they can stay inside! Many do!

And it’s appalling that you made a racial assumption about me based on nothing, weaponized your assumption in a derogatory way, and spoke for all introverts and children of immigrants as though they are a monolith.
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2026 17:13     Subject: TT trying to eliminate open lunch

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Lunch shifts starting at 7:45AM???


My kid's ES takes 3 hours for 600 kids to get through all their lunch shifts. Unless HS have to force students to stay in the cafeteria, multiple lunch shifts will not work and it is not a good idea for the students at all. So many students see me for help, make up work, etc. Some just hang in my classroom because it is not chaotic. But I teach multplie.grade levels, which means I will have class during some lunch shifts if they change the one lunch block. Since the BOE is never in a school, I fully expect them to pass it.


In hs they don’t eat in the cafeteria. Big difference. This is just to distract from other stuff going on. I think it’s a safety issue.


Yep. I teach in a high school. Guess that wasn't clear in my response. I see first hand how it would negatively impact HS students. It's also unrealistic to have multiple lunch shifts for high schools based on how long it would take to get that many HS students through lunch shifts.



There are schools around the country that have been doing this for decades. I went to a HS with over 3,000 kids in VA with multiple lunches. The issue in mCPS is the teacher union. Teachers get a 30 min duty free lunch but are then expected to sponsor a club, host office hours/open studio and tutor kids with the other 20 min for free


Single lunch has allowed our school to give kids a ton of curriculum choice, allowing freshman to take classes with seniors. I will really stink to lose that flexibility especially for advanced kids that want to be able to take APs as freshman and sophomore, or for kids who take less popular courses where there might not be multiple sections offered.
People are talking about this just as a quality of life issue — which it is — but it’s yet another way that MCPS is taking away options for advanced learners.
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2026 17:10     Subject: TT trying to eliminate open lunch

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So this is my perception of the issue.

People who want to preserve open lunch in the schools that have it:
-principals
-teachers
-parents
-students
-most nearby food business owners

People who want to end open lunch :
-Brenda Wolff
-Natalie Zimmerman
-Thomas Taylor
-a few local business owners
-a few whiny karens who hate teens but also chose to live right by a high school.

Seems to me that all the people who want to end open lunch are not the actual individuals who participate in open lunch and/or spend time in our school buildings, but want to make decisions for others.


Keep dreaming, Deatrice.

There are parents, students and teachers on both sides of the issue.

I know you're crapping bricks because you're about to lose open lunch, but don't make things up just to make yourself feel or look better.


Find me one student currently at an open lunch school who wants their school to lose that privilege.


There are many kids who don't like the safety issues that come with Open Lunch. You just don't bother to listen to them.


I would totally listen to them if they existed but you made them up in your imagination. Just as you made up this new narrative that there are safety issues that exist because of open lunch and that schools with closed lunch are safer in some measurable way.

No, I didn't make them up.

Many kids don't like to go out for Open Lunch due to the crowds, fights and bad behaviors that happen during Open Lunch. Some of that is because those kids are more introverted and/or shy and some of that is because their parents warn them about such things. Especially if your child is of an immigrant background.

You are showing your white, liberal bias and the fact that you can't imagine some students preferring closed lunch, even though there are children who eat in the cafeterias in schools with Open Lunch everyday, says more about you than the kids you claim don't exist.


Those kids will be much worse off if they close open lunch. If they are avoiding going out to RTC or Georgetown Square because they are scared of crowds and bad behavior, what do they think will happen when open lunch ends? All those kids will be piled on top of them, making wherever they are currently eating more crowded and rowdy.
One of the reasons my kid likes to get out for lunch is that they are introverted and hate the constant jostling and crowds at the school. People are always pushing and shoving because it’s so crowded, and the noise volume is overwhelming. The great thing about open lunch is that it gives kids options, so your kid that doesn’t like it is welcome to eat in the cafeteria and it will be a better experience because it is less crowded.