Should High School Seniors be allowed to have off campus lunches?

Many people believe open lunch should be a privilege extended to seniors who wish to leave the school grounds and adjacent areas during their assigned lunch periods. This privilege is predicated on the belief that students as they enter their final years of high school should be trusted to make mature decisions and act responsibly. Some students wish they could leave only so they could get something to eat other than school food.

I understand that not every senior shows the proper maturity and they should be identified and treated accordingly. When it comes to privilages, seniors don't have many compared to underclassman. Sure, we get a free period as opposed to study hall and a senior skip day, but don't we deserve more for our twelve years of hard work and effort put into school? Don't we deserve something that, frankly speaking, makes everyone more aware of our seniority status, something that we can enjoy this year and the other grades can look forward to?

That something can be found in probably one of the more controversial topics in high schools, off campus lunches. I understand the school is responsible for us from the time we arrive at school until the time we depart, and being able to have an off campus lunch would mean we are still the school's responsibility, even though we're not on campus. However, what if parents were to sign a note stating their child is allowed to leave school during lunch hours and would be their responsibility? If anything was to happen to a student, parents would not have the right to run into school, arms flailing wildly, blaming whomever they can for what happened to their child.

But isn't it time that the school lets us depend on ourselves in making the better decisions, which in this case would be coming back to class in time. We are going to go from being monitored all day long to a college environment where we are the ones to decide what to do.

Pupils who fail to meet their responsibility may forfeit the privilege altogether and may be subject to other disciplinary actions. The school should develop rules and regulations that promote compliance with the policy and ensure that only eligible seniors utilize the privilege of open lunch.