The current IMS indoor lunch plan is for students to be separated alphabetically by last name, (A-L and M-Z). This separation will cause many problems and affects the students here at IMS. 

One of the primary reasons of this is because social circles and friendships will be greatly impacted once we cannot interact during the school day. For many students, school is one of the only times that they can communicate and hang out with friends, and in the school day, their lunch period is the one that matters most. Taking away the opportunity to socialize properly during lunch will greatly impact students' social and emotional health. 
Another reason is that despite the fact that the Maher gym will be used for indoor recess, it was said that they had specially opened it up fully for play. This was broken by the fact that the gym would still be split because there are physical education classes during lunch. That in itself would be disruptive. 

Although precautions are necessary during the pandemic. There are other measures that can be taken that do not affect our lives as much. For example, eating outside in the Quad was something we did last year even during the coldest days. By taking away that option for the big numbers of students that are still willing to eat outside on colder days, it is creating a situation where everyone is unhappy. Additionally, the campus gym could also be used for recess, another option that can be offered. By giving students more of these options, it is possible for us to achieve what we want (physical health and social distancing) while finding a situation where everyone is satisfied with what they can do. 

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