For many, lunchtime is a moment to eat and chat with friends. No classes, no worries. For some, however, lunch serves as an opportunity to check out books from the library, print essays and complete other similar matters.
Ladue, unfortunately slashes through these pressing matters by disallowing students to roam outside of the cafeteria and commons during lunch periods. Administrators manning the hallways never fail to stop students attempting to reach other parts of the school building during lunch. The few students who slipped past have even gotten into trouble when caught by teachers.
If you haven’t guessed, I believe this “no-roaming” policy needs to go.
Understandably, the school retains this policy to deter students from making a fuss in the halls while other classrooms are in session. However, from observation, few students actually wish to cause trouble for teachers. And noting other school districts such as Clayton, which lets their students physically leave school during lunch, a simple “okay, you can go to the library” wouldn’t hurt Ladue.
Perhaps, as a middle way, Ladue can adopt a “roaming pass,” where teachers sign a slip of paper acknowledging that a student has a legitimate reason to leave the cafeteria for lunch. That way, students who, for example, want a quiet place to read, can do so.
