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May 8, 2008
Lunch SafetyHigh school is a stressful time for many students (anyone who's ever been to high school knows that). Everyone remembers the tests, the time limits between classes, keeping friends, extra-curricular activities, sleep deprivation, and the pressure of getting into a good college constantly on your shoulders. We often hear about drunk driving and teens and groups like MADD, SADD, and others have made excellent strides in reducing the number of drunk drivers that are teens.
BoardBuzz noticed this story in the New York Times about suburban Long Island teens leaving campus for lunch who were involved in fatal car accident while rushing back to school. This fall, two students at Smithtown West High School were killed and a thirteen year old in another car was also killed as the students hurried back to campus from lunch so that they wouldn't be late to their next class.
The Times staff did their homework and went around the country to find that other districts in other parts of the country grapple with an open high school campus. While some districts restrict movement during the day to the school grounds, others continue to let the students roam in the community. There are arguments on both sides of the issue and it's easy to recall the exhilaration of getting a driver's license and being able to have the freedom to roam, but if students are expected to behave accordingly during the school day, shouldn't they be limited to school? It's an issue school boards around the nation have to face and parental and student pressure can sway depending on the district, but nobody wants to read more stories like this one in the Times. Lunch just isn't worth dying for.
Posted May 8, 2008 2:46 PM | School Boards
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