Glen Ridge High School Administration plans to eliminate the extra ten minutes we get for lunch this year. This brings us back to the old 30-minute lunch we had in previous years. The impact of this change will be detrimental to the physical and mental health of GRHS students.

Now that Juniors and Seniors can leave the school to eat lunch, there are fewer students in the cafeteria. This makes the cafeteria more COVID-safe; the lunch lines are shorter, and there are finally enough seats for everyone. With a shortened lunch, fewer people will go out because they feel they won't have enough time to make it back before 7th period. This will overcrowd the cafeteria, causing longer wait time in the lunch line, and more people crowding lunch tables. It will be impossible to maintain social distancing in these circumstances. We will have to squeeze more kids into tables without masks and more kids will be squished into the lunch line. 

Transitioning back to full-time in-person school has been stressful for most of us. Lunch is a time for us to have a much needed break from work, to unwind with our friends and make up for social time lost during last year's shutdown. Shortening that time does more harm than good.

Please sign this petition to show your support for Long Lunch!

Thank you

- Olivia Celestin