Stick around: East implements new stickers required for seniors to leave campus over lunch

On Sept. 6, East implemented a new policy requiring students to show administration a sticker allowing them to leave campus for lunch.

These stickers are offered only to seniors and can be obtained by filling out a form with a guardian’s signature allowing them to leave campus during lunch. The stickers go on the back of senior’s student I.D. cards making them easy for administration to check. The sticker itself is a QR code which leads directly to a list of every student who has filled out the form

This change comes after an increase in non-seniors leaving for lunch after COVID. Vice Principal Dr. Susan Leonard says the administrative team has been consistently discussing ways to solve the problem and came up with the sticker idea over the summer.

“I think this mindset developed that ‘we don’t have to be at school if we’re not actively engaged in class, we can just come and go quickly’,” Leonard said.  “And during COVID times and hybrid times that made sense, but we need to return to normal so we have our students here.”

Leonard says a big reason behind the new rule is to ensure students safety. Other reasons they implemented this is to make sure guardians are aware and comfortable with their students leaving for lunch and help kids make new connections by being in the lunchroom with different people.

“There’s a chance at lunch to make new friends and to build community and we can’t do that if we’re not together.” Leonard said. “I know it’s all about who’s in trouble or who’s not, but I truly, really just want people to stay to make friends and build community and have fun and enjoy a whole 25 minutes instead of rushing back and forth.”

Senior Levi Brown agrees with Leonard — it’s better for students to be in the lunchroom interacting with their peers and that off campus privileges should be reserved for seniors.

“Lunch is a time for students to talk to people which they can’t do when they’re not there,” Brown said. “But seniors are going to college soon and it’s good for them to have more freedoms similar to a college atmosphere.”

On the other hand, junior Hattie Brooks who routinely went off campus for lunch prior to the new rule, disagrees. She believes students should be able to leave when they want to leave and simply deal with the repercussions instead of being stopped.

“School shouldn’t be like a prison where we’re forced to attempt to sneak in or out or be stopped from leaving,” Brooks said.

For the first quarter, Leonard plans to be more relaxed about students leaving without stickers by simply giving out warnings. Starting in the second quarter, when students are caught leaving without stickers, administration plans to bring back friday night school – a friday night detention.