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Seattle Public School students stage walkout over lunch changes
Hundreds of Seattle Public Schools students walked out of class to protest a new district-wide policy that splits lunch into two separate periods. While the district says the change will help ensure every student has time to eat, students say the new schedule will disrupt school clubs and force them to choose between extracurricular activities and academics.
SEATTLE - Hundreds of Seattle Public Schools’ students walked out of their classrooms on Monday in protest of the district’s plans to change lunch policy.
The district recently announced it would split its lunch period into two. The goal is to cut down on the crowds during lunch and allow students time to eat during the 30-minute period.
However, students are worried about the impact on other parts of the school day.
Seattle school lunch program
What they're saying:
"A lot of my clubs I am in, are going to be destroyed, or at least in high jeopardy — and that matters to me," said Adrian Clark, a senior at Nathan Hale High School.
Students like Clark are concerned because school clubs meet during the lunch period.
The district has suggested meeting at other times during the day, like before or after class.
Big picture view:
Many students say they have responsibilities after class, like jobs or sports, and would not be able to fit more into their schedules.
"There’s not that many hours in the day, and it would be far more preferable to do it during lunch," said Alison Cogan, a sophomore at Roosevelt High School.
The district said the changes to lunches could go into effect as early as Monday, but the change must be made by Oct. 6.
FOX 13 Seattle reached out to Seattle Public Schools to comment on the protest on Monday, but they did not respond.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter AJ Janavel.