Due to safety concerns, seniors at Anderson Union High School will no longer be eligible for an open-campus lunch.
In the past, Cub seniors who met academic and behavioral requirements have been allowed to earn off-campus privileges. But the district board of trustees has made the decision to close the campus to all students starting at the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year.
Anderson High School Principal Scott Booth cited Principal Scott Booth cited safety as the number one reason for the change.
“If you look at different statistics and research studies, students - teenagers in particular - are three times as likely to have auto accidents on an open campus versus a closed campus,” Booth said.
During the past five school years, Booth said students could receive a pass to leave study hall 10 minutes early, so they would have 40 minutes to leave campus for lunch. But this year there won’t be a study hall, and students will have to stick to the 30 minute lunch period.
“Thirty minutes to grab something to eat is not a wise decision,” Booth said “It puts kids in jeopardy, and it’s not something that just I worry about, but probably parents as well.”
Students from previous years who had earned the off-campus privileges were issued an ID if they met requirements for open-campus and obtained written parent permission. But that didn’t stop some seniors who hadn’t earned the card or a few underclassmen from leaving the campus for lunch as well.
“We were having some issues with kids who hadn’t earned the card or weren’t even eligible because they were juniors or sophomores who were leaving,” Booth said.
But those discipline issues could have been dealt with and didn’t fuel the decision to close the campus, the principal said. Booth also said he would work with the student body to find new ideas to keep students happy during lunchtime on campus.
An informational meeting for parents will focus on the topic of campus closures. The meeting will be held in the Anderson Union High School library at 6 p.m. on Aug. 11.
Are you a student or parent who has an opinion about the closed campus? Tell us at www.andersonvalleypost.com
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
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