This year the Seattle School District has required Garfield to reinstate a two-lunch policy. This splits the student body into two separate lunch periods that have been decreased from 40 to 30 minutes long. Last year’s ten minute passing between second and third period is gone and is now reallocated to a 40-minute advisory, four days a week. Additionally, the school is now asking students to provide their student identification number in order to take a meal. Without a singular lunch period, every student-run club now meets during one travel advisory day.
“Personally, I thought it was not a good move,” Tabari Ahmad, Garfield’s kitchen manager, said. “Kids were meeting for clubs, this kind of disrupted everything. It also opened the opportunity for a lot of kids to skip class, which I don’t condone.” In addition to staff, many students are upset about the current lunch system. Concerns center around club meetings, separation from friends and shorter periods. “I’m a part of the FSA (Filipino student association)” Marcus Jose, a Garfield senior, said. “Usually we would just do it during lunch but now we have to do it during advisory which makes it a lot harder.” Some people also feel that lines are longer and that the cafeteria is disorganized. Aiqin Masiddo, a junior, observed, “it’s honestly more chaotic now and it seems to take longer.”
The changes were made because “we are one of the schools that benefit from a program that allows all students to eat at no charge,” Terrance Hart, Garfield’s principal, said. “Because of that, our lunch numbers are a little higher than other schools,” putting Garfield above the threshold for one lunch. Safety is another factor. “In the case of an emergency situation or a shelter in place, it’s easier to manage with only half of the students out and the other half in classes,” Hart said.
This is not the first time Garfield has had two lunches. Two years ago as well as the start of last year there was a two-lunch policy, however last year it was quickly removed after student and teacher backlash. As time goes on many are wondering if there is any chance of recalling the policy once again. “I don’t know what public outcry would do, but it hasn’t facilitated change as of yet,” Hart said.
While many are upset, some support the new system because it lightens the load on the cafeteria. “Students don’t like it because their friends aren’t in the same lunch but those are just silly reasons, I think it’s a good thing” Jose said. For those who have different lunch periods than their friends this has even been an opportunity to meet new people to eat with. Like it or not, adapting and making new friends may be the best course of action. Two lunches don’t seem to be going away, anytime soon.
