By RACHEL SCHREIBSTEIN
Since I don’t take a lunch period, I find it very difficult to find time to eat in school. Understandably, many teachers do not allow students to eat in class for the safety of those with severe food allergies, but it poses a problem for students who don’t have a free period during the school day. Even though some teachers allow students to eat in class, having to multitask between eating and paying attention to the lesson can cause students to become distracted and unable to process the information presented.
Students choose not to take a lunch period for many different reasons. I decided to take additional electives including College Accounting and A.P. Psychology instead. These were courses that I had an interest in and wanted to take advantage of, as they are not offered at every school. Guidance counselor Ms. Lisa-Brown explains that in ninth grade, students add an elective or two to their schedules, but as they move up to higher grades, they want to add as many A.P. classes as they can. “Some students think it is a race to take more courses because they look better for colleges, and that’s totally not true,” she said.
On the other hand, some students decided to take lunch but were given a free period instead. Junior Caitlin C. chose to take a lunch period this school year as opposed to her first two years of high school when she took extra electives. She was disappointed to see that on her schedule she did not have a lunch period, but rather one free period early in the day and another late in the day on alternating days. “I either have to eat breakfast at 10:00 or not eat the entire day until 2:00 instead of having a normal lunch hour,” she said. However, Ms. Lisa-Brown believes that having a lunch period is possible for every student. “Lunch is never a problem to schedule. It’s over-scheduling that causes issues,” she added.
My schedule is jam-packed. I take full responsibility for the courses I have enrolled in, and I really do enjoy them, but I believe a break in the day is necessary. Students should not have to go through the entire school day without eating, especially those with sports after school. Eating lunch or just snacks throughout the day is essential for students to be able to perform to the best of their ability. I don’t think that the break necessarily has to be a full lunch period, but I do believe that having a 20 to 30 minute school-wide break each day will prove to be beneficial for most, if not all, students.
Jericho High School Principal Ms. Rosenberg also thinks that each student needs time to relax during the stressful school day, whether it be just 15 minutes or an entire period, and believes that not taking lunch is “in many ways not healthy.” Likewise, Ms. Lisa-Brown believes that every student needs some down time during the day. This can include relaxing in the cafeteria with friends or even “just sitting, reading a book in the library,” she said.
Many people have questioned whether or not lunch should be mandatory for students. According to Ms. Rosenberg, this is an issue that has been brought annually by the Shared Decision Making committee, a group of students, staff, parents, and administrators who discuss school issues. However, there has yet to be any policy change.
We want to know how you feel about this issue. What are your experiences with eating lunch in school? What are your opinions about a break during the day? Should some kind of free time be mandatory for students? Leave your comments below.
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