Students are being nickel-and-dimed out of their hard-earned money to eat lunch this year.
After a year of free school lunches, prices have returned. School lunches are now $3.50, with a 25 cent charge for compostable utensils. Although there is a Free and Reduced-Price Meal option, you must meet certain qualifications based on household income.
For some students, the re-introduction is inconvenient, and they are now having to bring their own lunch. Junior Kate Wong said, “It’s definitely a lot more stressful in the morning now having to pack a lunch than it was last year.”
However, when she has had school lunch this year, she said she’s noticed the quality of school lunches has improved, citing “more variety of sides and toppings that you can get.” She said they now have options such as “a burrito wrap with rice and meat. … There’s a whole side bar that you could add cheese, salsa, corn, and lettuce, and guacamole.”
Other students are okay with this change, including junior Max Whitaker, who said, “School lunch has gotten a bit better now that it costs some money, with options such as bánh mì now being available on a more regular basis.
I don’t think that a charge should be added to the use of utensils, as that seems a bit unreasonable. But besides that, I think that the new addition of cost isn’t too bad considering the relative quality and amount of food for its low cost.
Another change this year is the discontinuation of breakfast break, with an extra five minutes added to lunch. I have no problem with this, I appreciate the five minutes of extra lunch, while I rarely used breakfast break.
Despite this, I can’t say the same for other students. Sophomore Alan Brennan said, “I just used it when I didn’t have anything to eat that morning. I would get something to snack on or something that I brought if it wasnt allowed in class. Another use of my time would be just to relax.”
Free school lunches were beneficial for the Roosevelt High School community. It was convenient for students to be able to get free lunch, without having to worry about packing a lunch in the morning, or paying for a school lunch and worrying about growing costs. While in the years prior to COVID-19, schools have charged for lunch, students have become accustomed to the ease of getting a free lunch and have enjoyed the privilege.
Students deserve to have quality lunches, so I appreciate the new and improved menu. What I don’t appreciate, however, is the utensil charge. As long as compostable utensils are 25 cents, students will continue to take the free, plastic utensils, when students should be encouraged to use environmentally friendly utensils.
Nowadays, you’ll find a greater number of students going off campus for lunch. No longer is there an incentive to eat lunch at school, if it’s only going to cost a few dollars more to go out. Going off campus, you don’t have to pay for a utensil.
If you ask me, it seems students are being nickel and dimed out of their hard earned money.
What some students thought was a permanent change, was actually only temporary, and now that we’ve gotten past COVID-19 (for the most part), students must get comfortable with life getting back to normal, which includes the reintroduction of paying for school lunches.
