Change Lunch Schedule, Princeton Students Urge School District
PRINCETON, NJ – A group of Princeton High School students have started a petition, urging the school district to change the lunch schedule to mitigate the spread of COVID-19's omicron variant.
In a Change.org petition, students have said that although the omicron variant is not known to cause severe illness for the vaccinated, the district should ensure everyone is safe. And eating lunch in the school building can lead to COVID-19 spread.
“Knowing how contagious the Omicron virus is, it seems irresponsible to have students eating in the school building. Many students have already raised their concerns about the spread of COVID-19, but the Princeton High School administration fails to listen to students' opinions about safety precautions, and schedule changes that go along with these issues,” students said in their petition.
PHS currently has a three-tier lunch schedule. But students pointed out that it could still lead to COVID-19 spread among the high-risk students or their families.
“In the past year we have had multiple schedule changes due to COVID, although students understand that our administration is trying their best, it is time to listen to the student’s voices,” students said.
“Many of us have raised our concerns about the current three-tier lunch schedule. Students are worried about their health, and let’s not forget that some of the students or their family members suffer from chronic illness which puts them at higher risk.”
Students are of the opinion that eating lunch at a smaller section of the school, could expose them to the contagious omicron variant and create a “superspreader.”
Roughly 500 students eat lunch at the same time every day, students say it’s “not a solution.”
“Most of the students prefer eating in the hallways to be close to their friends, which creates more students being close to each other but in smaller places. Eating in the PAC or cafeteria is a safer option but it is not safe enough,” they said in the petition.
Many students recounted their lunch experience and said it “introduces new obstacles and a lot of social anxiety.”
The petitioners put forward some solutions saying masking rules should be stricter and no eating or drinking should be allowed in the building.
When contacted, Princeton Public Schools said they appreciate the efforts of students and staff in making the high school safe and prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“Instead of having one lunch period with all 1550 PHS students eating at the same time, there are now three lunch periods which minimizes the density in the cafeteria and allows students more space to eat in a variety of locations. PPS appreciates the adjustments students have made to prioritize safety. As soon as the high rates of COVID transmission decrease, Princeton High School anticipates that there will be a return to the traditional lunch schedule,” the school district said in a statement.
The petition has 54 signatures so far. PHS has over 1,400 students.
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This article originally appeared on the Princeton Patch
