How often do you wish you could have Changa on the Pike, Chipotle, or Subway for lunch? On June 1, 2026, the Freshman Student Government officers met with ACC’s administrative team for some background on why we don’t have off-campus lunch privileges. According to Ms. Chung and Mr. Mainor, the decision is out of their hands due to wider APS School Board requirements.
As it turns out, APS has a complicated system when it comes to leaving school to retrieve a lunch off campus. Some schools have a policy; others revert to the general APS codes of conduct. Because ACC serves students from every high school in the county, we’re forced to be the most restrictive one. Although I completely understand concerns about underclassmen and juniors running around town, leaving school to get lunch. Still, we’re expected to be responsible at ACC, getting ready for the workplace. Shouldn’t we be trusted to make good decisions?
Now, that is not to say that we don’t need rules and regulations. It’s the job of APS to keep students safe–legally, academically. I propose a system like HB Woodlawn’s, the other high school program in APS, with some additional structures, similar to what we have for seniors now.
HB Woodlawn Policy
Students in Grades 6 and 7 have a scheduled lunch time and are permitted to leave the school building as long as they remain immediately adjacent to the building (with parent permission). They are not permitted to cross any streets or go east of the H-B Woodlawn building. Students in Grades 8 through 12 are required to have a parent permission form, completed by their parents and filed in the main office, before they may leave school grounds for lunch or at any other time during the school day. These forms are included in the first-day packets. Students are given permission slips for specific field trips to be completed by parents and returned to school. “We view lunchtime as another opportunity for students to learn to make decisions and abide by the consequences of their actions. Thus, if students leave campus with parental permission during the school day, whether at lunchtime or any other time, we expect them to behave properly and return promptly; students should return to campus in time for their next scheduled class.”
My Proposal
- My first rule is that there should be a permission slip on file for all grades. At the beginning of the year, Archers’ teachers would hand out a contract that required a parent’s signature and a minimum Grade Requirement. Basically, any E’s, no feast. This way, students who hold good grades are rewarded with off-campus lunch privileges, and if anything were to happen, parents cannot sue the school due to the previously signed contract.
- My second rule is that a student must obtain a lunch pass from either their 3rd, 4th, or 5th-period teacher to make sure they don’t have any tests or summatives missing (whichever one goes first and last (ex: 1st Lunch; get a pass from either 3rd or 4th)). If any summatives are missing, then they won’t receive a pass and have to schedule a time to make that up. This way, teachers can make sure students are eligible if they are on top of their work.
- My third and final rule is that if someone is caught leaving without a pass, then the student is banned from leaving until either the next semester or quarter. Additionally, if caught in the 4th quarter, they are banned for the rest of the year. With these simple rules, they should be able to follow without question or temptation. Lastly, if the rule is broken, there will be consequences in school, and students will lose access to the simple and easy rules.
With all of these rules, this will protect APS from the Big 3:
- Getting sued
- Unhappy students who crave fast food
- Time-consuming calls to parents about rule violations
In conclusion, the fight isn’t over; even though we have been denied, we’re committed to doing more research and making contact with decision-makers. I will promise you one thing, ACC: this is something that I won’t give up on.
