Placer is known for its off-campus lunch. Students are given thirty minutes in which they can leave the confines of the school grounds in order to eat. This leaves no margin for error. Whether by foot or by car, students have to race to get to their intended destination, beating out traffic, slow service, and lines. Hit a red light and it could result in a tardy. The truth of the matter is, lunch is simply too short.

Not having enough time for lunch poses many problems for students at Placer. Those who drive begin to put themselves and those around them in danger. Because they are so hurried, students are more likely to drive recklessly.

“Sometimes you have to eat and drive which is a safety issue,” said Senior Hayli Hawkins.

Running stop signs and speeding often feel like the only way to make it back to class on time.

This lack of time also causes students to return to class with empty stomachs. Though the time may be adequate to retrieve food, it is not ample enough to actually eat.

Students often return to class with the lunch they bought and are unable to have it due to many teachers no food policy.

Freshman Simmi Kandola is familiar with this policy, “My teacher makes us go outside to finish lunch.” As a result Kandola stated that she occasionally misses important information from her teacher.

Those who are fortunate enough to eat in the classroom have to balance their desire to eat lunch with their demand to do work. Whether or not students are allowed to eat in class, food has become a big distraction due to limited lunch time.

To many the solution to this problem is simple: stay on campus for lunch. Students who do so often  bring a lunch from home or get one from the cafeteria. However, with Placer boasting a large 1,400 students, staying on campus for lunch would be nearly impossible.

The cafeteria would not be able to provide enough lunches for so many people.

Not only would the cafeteria be unable to handle so many students, but the campus itself. Seating would become limited, and Placer would become cramped and unruly during lunch hours.

A longer lunch could be a reality for Placer, but only with compromise. If time could be taken from somewhere else it could be added to the amount of time students get for lunch. For Placer, the extra time comes from passing periods. If the ten minutes students were given between classes was cut in half, it would create more time for lunch.

“I think it would be good, students would have more time to eat instead of moving around during passing periods,” said Freshman Lilly Moore.

Freshman Madison Schnepp agrees, “I like longer lunch.”

Not everyone is fond of the idea though, “You would have to rush to class,” stated Junior Sarah Minor.

Next time you get stuck at the drive-thru or twist your ankle sprinting to Taco Tree, ask yourself this: is lunch too short?