Isn’t the idea of “open campus” satisfying? Open campus is a policy which allows students to leave school ground during lunch to purchase food.

There are many valid points to argue for and against open campus (also known as off campus) lunch. On the positive end, students exposed to open campus can practice responsibility through time management. Not to mention that it’s a great stress reliever and surrounds you with healthier, and more diverse food options. Many countries accept open campus, and in France, schools allow up to two hours of open campus. The matter of fact is, open campus allows students to be themselves, often raising their self-esteem and giving them a real-life feel of what college will be, after all, you aren’t forced into one room and limited to the provided catering options, nor do such instances occur in real life either.  

The other end of the spectrum argues that open campus makes students prone to injuries and negative behavior like ditching. While being prone to injuries is a valid point, it shouldn’t be enough to discourage open campus. Especially when sports are the leading factors in school injuries. So what makes one injury worse than the other? It’s not like the school has no form of regulation over its students. Schools can set standards that students must achieve to gain access to open campuses such as a set grade requirement, attendance check, time check, or some form of strike system. The point is, teachers are allowed to go off campus and enjoy a delicious meal, so why can’t students do the same? Not only would open lunch benefit students behavior, but it would also encourage better grades to meet the criterion to access open lunch; just like some schools offer open lunch to juniors and seniors.

– Fernando Soto