This is a petition against the new lunch rules and the fact that they blocked our old petition google document. If you don’t know, there is a new lunch procedure based on the seating in the cafeteria. They will be calling out the rows for us to sit and there will be a maximum number of students allowed at each table. Sections will be released one at a time to get food. This impacts how fast we get our food and some students may not get enough time to eat their food. This plan would directly affect the amount of food wasted, the less time to eat will cause people to throw away their unfinished food, making the waste levels for the school go up. It will be hard for the students who have two minutes to get back to our classes on time because they plan on dismissing rows one-by-one. We had a petition document and they blocked it; directly violating our rights stated in the SR&R.

Our rights and responsibilities as students have been violated. One of the four requirements listed directly in the section, Student Behavior Expectations, is “I arrive to class on time and I actively participate.” We are not able to get to class on time with the amount of time it will take to dismiss students. This new lunch set-up will take away from our learning time and increase the average number of tardy students. Students may not be able to participate adequately because of the chance that students may not be able to have lunch before the period of time closes. Under the section Classroom Etiquette, it states very plainly that we have to “get to class on time.” This lunch setup does not, and will not, make it easier to get to class on time. Under the same section, it also states that we should “engage in the learning process.” We cannot properly engage if we have not eaten enough. are dismissed to go to lunch, everyone rushes to get to the first rows as quickly as they can. This creates a massive stampede of people, where students could be thrown down and seriously hurt. Teachers have shared concerns about things like this happening in the locker bays and coming back from recess. Now, however, the administration is enforcing these new rules which may have the exact same effect. One of the top priorities of teachers and administrators is to keep the students safe. They have violated this by imposing these new rules.

According to “Feed the Children”, a study in North Carolina found that when students’ families ran out of SNAP benefits for the month, their test scores dropped. This shows that the correct amount of food during a student's school day makes a big impact on how students function during the school day. Not giving us enough time to eat properly can also be a big set-back in our learning. According to the same website, “Not only does food insecurity translate to lower math and reading scores, it can also lead to more absences and tardiness. In fact, food-insecure students are less likely to graduate high school.” This new lunch schedule could jeopardize our future as good students. 

WHEREAS, research from the Healthcare Public Services has proven that children who have 20 minutes or less of seated time to eat lunch leave behind 13 percent of their entrees, 10 percent of their milk and 12 percent of their vegetables. Additionally, students with less time to eat their lunch, are 57 percent less likely to choose a fruit for consumption, based on the shortened time frame

 We have a specifically stated right in the SR&R about petitioning. It states students can “express opinions freely through speech, assembly, petition, and other lawful means” In the beginning of the year we signed a contract about our SR&R rights. They have broken the contact so that means we don’t have to follow the SR&R rules. I am going to speak with a counselor soon and if they don’t do, or say, anything then they officially broke the contact first. We have a right to petition and they have violated that as well. This cannot stand. That is the second reason we are petitioning. 

This is not okay. If you agree with me that this new lunch set-up violates our SR&R policy that we follow, please put your name and share this with at least one other person. Also, feel free to send this to a teacher or parent if you think they feel the same Also, if any of you are worried that this will get you in trouble, it won’t. We have a specifically stated right in the SR&R about this. It states students can “express opinions freely through speech, assembly, petition, and other lawful means” That means that no one is getting in trouble for putting your name down.

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