Students of Lake Shore High School have energetically expressed their feelings on the new lunch policy Principal Janelle Bross has announced on multiple occasions. The strict policy of only seniors being allowed to leave for lunch has struck up quite the controversy. Is there a deeper meaning behind such strict rules? 

Threats of petitions and storming out have been made by upset students, students who have been waiting for such freedom ever since middle school. However, where does this policy really begin? Located on the Lake Shore High School website, a handbook regarding any and all questions can be found. In this handbook, it states, “Senior students have the ability to apply for and receive the privilege of leaving campus during their designated lunch period.” It then goes on to list multiple conditions seniors must follow in order to maintain said privilege. Next to the title there is a listed amendment, The Hazlett Amendment to be exact.

Dr. Janelle Bross, principal, said, “The addition of off campus lunch to the handbook was the personal project of former Senior Class President Evan Hazlett (Class of 2017). Because he worked so hard to make it happen, we named that section “The Hazlett Amendment.” 

Nowhere in the handbook does it regard the idea of any other class being able to leave or not leave for school lunch. 

One student in particular, Peter VanHulle, responded to the lunch issue by saying, “I want to be able to get Taco Bell on a daily basis, it makes me sad that I have to bring my own food or eat the crappy school lunch that’s expensive.” 

While respecting the school’s wishes, the idea of what separates the junior class from the seniors came up in question. 

VanHulle stated, “I don’t know, most of them aren’t even adults yet, maybe because they are seniors and they need to feel something. It’s not fair, I can drive too, I’m just as responsible as the seniors, if not more”

The hall monitors are the people who have to enforce these new regulations from the board. Shannon McPeak, hall monitor, said, “I feel that it’s a good idea to keep students in the cafeteria because at least we know where everyone is and they’re not wandering around, getting in trouble. I think next year when we get a new cafeteria it will be much nicer because we’ll have the bathrooms in here and we’ll have the shorian shop in here. For emergency purposes, I think the best thing is to keep everyone together”. 

McPeak also said, “Not coming back on time was the biggest thing last year. I mean I didn’t see anything but that, it was just the consistency of them coming back late or going out with their friends when they didn’t have the same lunch. They would go out at different lunch hours than their own.”

With varying voices and opinions it can be hard to find a solution. Addison Spear, junior, stated, “You can leave if you have a permission slip in from your parents and Ms. Leslie gets a list of who gets to leave.” 

It was suggested that instead of being able to leave should be based on students and not the individual grades.

As a result of all the controversy, there is said to be multiple students planning on fighting the policy and going to the next board meeting to try and reach a solution that makes everyone happy.