Open Campus For High School Students
By Kalani and Travis

Did you know that schools used to let all students roam free during their lunch hour? Even to this day, some schools let their scholars have an hour lunch break and they can leave for that time. At Wyoming High School, we still have a strict no open campus policy. Open campus could change a lot of problems for students, but the chances of getting it changed is minimal.
At Wyoming High School, there are three different lunches, each 30 minutes, with about 400 students each lunch. Not one of these 1,300 students are allowed the opportunity to leave. This leads to a very chaotic lunch period. Although it is a break from learning, it is a stressful time for students. Built up anxiety, stress, and pressure all fall into play when having to find a spot to sit and what line to follow during this time. Some don’t eat lunch because the thought of trying to make their way through the cafeteria worries them.
For some it’s the food options. Lunch is like a trap, being held inside and forced to eat their options, or don’t eat at all. Eight hour days, and the only thing we have to fill our stomach with is a sandwich under a heat lamp and a bruised apple? There are so many health requirements on making the school food, that it makes it not even taste good.
The option of having an open campus, even if that’s just for students that have earned it, gives an opportunity to eat something they actually like or find appetizing. Our assistant principal here at Wyoming High School, Ms.Varney, told us that she believes students should have a chance to earn their way to being able to leave for lunch. She remembers that last year there was a raffle that you could win and have the opportunity to get an “open campus pass”. Her main concern though was students being tardy or skipping, “A challenge I think I’ve seen with students leaving campus during lunch is students not coming back, or coming back late,” she said.
This will most likely improve students’ attitudes when coming back to school. Responsibility has a play in this too. Letting students leave for lunch gives them free room to do what they want as long as they make it back on time. College will be an open campus, so allowing it in highschool helps students be prepared for college life.
“I wouldn’t mind upperclassmen leaving for lunch, as long as they get back on time,” Principal Baumbach said. Although he thinks it would be okay, the Board of Education has rules set in place for many reasons.
Although there are struggles with monitoring students for lunch, our High School should give the students freedom to gain responsibility on their own time. Once we graduate, we are all on our own, with the decisions that we make as young adults. Whether students go to college or not, they still need to learn the basic responsibilities of time management and how they want to spend their money.
With it being so early in the school year, rules could still be changed and/or revised. It just takes a brave soul to stand up and use their voice.