When school administrators banned numerous lunch spots at the back-to-school assembly, students were beyond shocked and faced with a new challenge: relocating to a new area. Students are now forbidden to sit in numerous places including the A and B Building stairs, the benches close to the Arena, and the curb behind the C Building. During the first week of school, security has forced numerous students out of their regular lunch area. Why does our school get stricter every year? From dress code to limiting lunch areas, it seems like students are more confined than ever.

Restricting the designated lunch spots makes it easier for staff members to ensure all students are safe and conducting appropriate school behavior. There are no unattended students sitting behind buildings, stairs, or railings. It definitely decreases the number of unsupervised students at lunch. A major bonus is that it has provided our staff with more reassurance since they are now able to keep an eye on every student at lunch. However, to me, it seems like the new lunch rules don’t take into account the desires of students.

During the first weeks of school, the lunch areas were in complete chaos. Everyone was trying to establish dominance over a table like lions fighting for food. The students who sat in Palm Court the previous school year were already running to find an empty spot. By forcing the other students into Palm Court, the battle for a seat intensified. Like adding animals to a cage already at max capacity, confining additional students into Palm Court creates an overcrowded and uncomfortable environment. Because they forced all students into one big area, they made lunch less enjoyable. I’m more worried about being squished and losing my table than eating and enjoying myself.

A great number of students sit by themselves on the school ramps and in the corners of academic buildings. They might prefer to use lunch as a quiet time to watch YouTube, read, or wind down. Some students are claustrophobic or unsocial. To them, lunch is now dreadful and undesirable because they don’t enjoy loud and crowded settings. Yes, students are now accounted for by adults, and therefore safe, but at the cost of their own preferences and happiness. The new policy doesn’t take into account what students want. Just because fewer students sit by the Arena and academic buildings doesn’t mean that their desires are worth any less than the students who sit in Palm Court. But that’s what the new policy makes it seem like. It doesn’t care about whether or not some students dislike a lively and social environment.

 Many underclassmen sat by the A Building stairs last year because they couldn’t find a spot in Palm Court or the cafeteria. Other friend groups sit near the academic buildings simply because it’s calmer. They now have to relocate. How can they find a spot this year if they couldn’t find one last year? It seems like the staff forgot to consider the well-being of students when they proposed this rule. 

The availability of locations for lunch is so confined, that lunch makes me feel as if I’m in middle school. It feels like the staff sacrificed the desires of many students in order to make their jobs easier. Although the new lunch rule is meant to ensure the safety of all students, it has created many complications for students, such as being unable to find a table or being forced into an unwanted atmosphere. 

This article was submitted as a Guest opinion, The Aztec does not necessarily support the opinions presented.