The open campus lunch incentive has been a hot topic at Palestine High School for quite some time now. There are some students that believe that open campus should be available every day of the week, not just on Fridays.
One of the biggest benefits that comes with an open campus lunch is that it allows students to have more options for lunch instead of just what the school offers. With school lunches, it often seems like we are having the same food every other week. If open campus lunch was offered everyday, it would allow for students to get what they feel like eating instead of the same old food. Open campus lunch would also benefit people who don’t enjoy meals like corn dogs or chicken taquitos. If students forget to pack their lunch on the days they don’t like the school lunch, open campus would give them the chance to eat what they like instead of skipping the meal entirely.
Another benefit of open campus lunch is that it not only affects the students but also the small businesses in Palestine. Home Plate and Pioneer City Meat Market are the two places that students like to get food from when they decide not to walk home. By having this extra lunch traffic, it helps these small businesses in all the best ways. When Llama’s, soon to be Homeslice, finally opens up for lunch hours, there will most likely be students going there for lunch as well. The Little Cookie Shop also sees students from time to time getting their fix of cookies and drinks during lunch.
While there are several pros, we must also look at what the cons of open campus are. One of the cons is that students could decide to not eat healthy. For example, some students could go home and eat only junk food for lunch. Another con is that students have to pay for their lunch, meanwhile school lunches are currently free due to a grant that the school has. Finally the last con is that it is a safety hazard and students could decide to not come back to school after lunch.
There are several rules that could be put into place to help make the cons less of a problem, and many are already used for the incentive we already have. Firstly, making students leave and return by a certain time will help make things go more smoothly. Secondly, making students walk to where they want to go will help with the safety concerns. By not driving, students are less likely to have an accident, and they would have to stay in Palestine. Lastly, by making open campus a privilege that can be taken away will make students more likely to follow the rules.
So not only is open campus a good thing that benefits the students, it also benefits small businesses, which is always great. If one is definite, it is that the pros certainly outweigh the cons.
