DGF High School students are requesting an open lunch during our school day. We all understand the risks of COVID-19 but the way that our school is doing lunch right now is less safe than if the DGF Juniors and Seniors could leave the building. Currently, all of the students have to gather in the elementary gym together. We either get placed at a table with someone who we may or may not be friends with/talk to or get placed on the bleachers to eat our lunch. The people at the bleachers do not even get a place to set their lunch except their lap. 

We believe we should be able to leave because it would be safer. The current set up DGF is using is having us all together. About 80 students gather into a gym with no airflow, remove our masks, and eat. At some of the tables you get placed with one other student and at some tables, you sit with about 5 others. In none of these tables are you sitting six feet apart. If we were able to go to our cars, we would be alone and be able to eat without our masks by ourselves, in our own individual air. 

People say that if we were allowed to go to our cars by ourselves that we would not be alone and students would still gather in groups. I won't lie, in some cases, that is true. If we could go to our cars and eat by ourselves or even with one other friend who we already hang out with outside of school, we are exposing ourselves to fewer people than if we are sat in the elementary gym, about 3-4 feet away to someone we have never talked to a day in our lives.