Underclassmen should be allowed to go off campus for lunch
November 7, 2017
Our school, along with many other schools, has the policy that only upperclassmen can go off campus for lunch. Almost all reasons as to why underclassmen are unable to go off campus for lunch stem off of age. Some common assumptions or beliefs associated with younger kids are lack of maturity, care, and responsibility.This is not fair for underclassmen who are mature, responsible, and caring but are unable to have a chance due to their age.
Currently there are some pretty strict off campus lunch rules at our school. These rules state that the only students allowed to go off campus for lunch are upperclassmen (juniors and seniors). This disregards whether or not a student is the same age as someone in a different grade, or if that student has their own drivers license.
For most schools, the reasoning behind underclassmen (freshmen and sophomores) not going off campus for lunch are maturity, carelessness, and age. However, not all underclassmen follow these traits. In fact, in a lot of cases, it is the upperclassmen who are immature and cause the most trouble, for example Senior skip day. Also, what could underclassmen do that the upperclassmen don’t already do? Most of them will have to be with a friend or sibling who is an upperclassmen because they don’t have their own license, which would force them to behave like the older kids even if they were inclined to make a bad decision.
Of course, there would have to be some special rules for these underclassmen that would allow them to go off campus, such as parent/guardian consent. This is very important because the guardian of the student must be aware and approve of whether or not the student can go off campus or not. If there is no approval from the guardian, then that student is not allowed to go off campus for lunch.
There are many benefits to letting underclassmen leave for lunch. One of these major benefits would be to help reduce the chaotic number of people in the Lower Commons during lunch. Rather than having to open up the Dog House and add another place to clean up after lunch, allowing underclassmen to go off campus would be much more practical and more effective.
Many underclassmen support being able to leave for lunch. Sophomore Mitchell Getting said, “I think that when you get your driver’s license you should be able to go off campus for lunch.” In regards to underclassmen who don’t have their licenses, Getting said, “They can go if their ride says they can. They would have to buy a passenger pass or something but if they get their license during the school year they can use the already purchased passenger pass as credit towards that full off campus pass.” Although many agree with the opinion that underclassmen should be allowed to go off campus for lunch, not all agree. Junior Alyssa Riker said “Underclassmen should not be allowed to go out because a majority of them cannot drive and they make bad decisions.”
Overall, underclassmen should not be limited to school lunch just because of their age or common assumptions based on their age. As long as they meet the requirements for all students to be able to leave campus for lunch, and the requirements specially for them, then they should be authorized to go off campus too.
mason loc • Mar 14, 2018 at 2:27 pm
I believe anybody with a drivers license should be able to get lunches. If a student does not have one they should have to stay in the school because if they do not have a ride they will be hanging around the outside of the school making disruptions.
Meredith Ablao • Nov 28, 2017 at 12:24 pm
Hey Zach! Your article is super great! Your points and reasoning are very well written and I really can see your point here. The lower commons are very packed youre right! I’d love if there was more space.
Max Mayer • Nov 21, 2017 at 12:28 pm
I think that this is a good argument that is well written.
Lexi Gavlas • Nov 21, 2017 at 12:09 pm
I think you have a really good point here. In my opinion, the fact that the school uses age as a right of passage sets student up to think that this is how it will be for the rest of their lives which is often not the case!! Great work.
Jackson Graham • Nov 8, 2017 at 2:22 pm
Underclassmen absolutely should be allowed to go off campus for lunch. Your argument is invalid and selfish. Saying that since you guys didn’t get to go off campus for lunch so we can’t is like if Martin Luther King said since he didn’t get equal rights, then the next generation shouldn’t get equal rights either. Good comment tho
Keegan Tenney • Nov 7, 2017 at 11:53 am
Kinda agree with Anai…. Ever since this school created this rule, everyone prays junior year will come faster. Everyone who leaves for lunch is the school’s responsibility. If I were a sophomore or even still a freshman reading this, I probably would agree, but if we had to wait, so do allll of you. Really amazing writing though !!! 😀
Anai Freeman • Nov 7, 2017 at 11:47 am
ayooooooo, it is a right of passage or coming of age, if we just let whoever had a license and a decent grade in the classes they take then half of the school would be able to leave and the school is liable for us students during school hours which could leave to more crashes. And as an upperclassmen who can’t drive it really doesn’t affect how i act a license doesn’t define your personality + a lot of upperclassmen are simply just underage. GOOD ARTICLE THO
Malcolm Gaynor • Nov 8, 2017 at 9:10 am
I get where you are coming from Anai, but isn’t getting a driver’s license the bigger right of passage? Also, because there is both first and second lunch, there would be significantly less students driving than during the beginning or end of the day. Also, the middle of the day is less dangerous than the beginning because students are more awake, there are less cars on the roads, and it is brighter outside. And license doesn’t define personality, that wasn’t the point of the article. The point of the article was actually that your grade doesn’t define your personality. As you said, a lot of upperclassmen are underage, and younger than some sophomores. Finally, the article actually said that “most of them will have to be with a friend or sibling who is an upperclassmen because they don’t have their own license,” explaining that just because you don’t have a license doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to go out to lunch. The school shouldn’t keep an unnecessary, illogical rule in place just to create a secondary right of passage. However, see where you are coming from and can understand how it would feel as an upperclassman if the rule where changed.
Lily Antor • Nov 7, 2017 at 11:39 am
Great article Zach! I would have definitely liked to go to lunch sophomore year.