RCHS considering closing campus for lunch hour
by Peter Jakey– Managing Editor
In what would be an unpopular decision for some local business owners and students, school officials in the Rogers City Area Schools are exploring the possibility of recommending the Board of Education close campus for the next school year. A meeting consisting of principal Deb Jones, food service supervisor Diane Schultz, building and grounds supervisor Pat Lamb, as well as interested parents and teachers, will form a committee to begin looking at the possibility of no longer allowing high school students leave the building during lunch period. With end of the school year activities and the packing going on at Rogers City Elementary School in preparation for the remodeling project over the summer, setting a date has proved to be difficult. Jones said she would like to come up with something by June 8.
?With what is going on there, I cannot even come up with a time that?s going to be good to have a meeting before school gets out,? said Jones.
The safety of the students is at the heart of the issue, but space could be a problem. ?IT?S SAFETY,? said Jones. ?Safety is always an issue when you have kids on the streets during lunchtime. It?s just not the safest thing to have students piling into cars and going out to eat. There are three or four, five kids in a car. How much of the time are they talking??
?It?s not like I am seeing lots of accidents, because things happen — and Thank God we have not had anything happen — but there is a much greater risk when they are out there on the streets.? Currently, lunch break lasts 35 minutes. But is there enough space to feed 50 to 70 more students during the lunch break? That is the question that will need to be answered if the campus is c
AT THE last regular board meeting Jones reported that feeding additional students is not the problem, having a place for them to eat is. ?Essentially, the middle school is closed,? said Jones. ?The middle school kids do not leave unless they have a note from their parents.? Jones has promised to conduct a meeting in June and bring a final recommendation to the board by July. In the meantime, Jones is interested in hearing from parents who want to serve on the committee.
They should call her at the high school at 734-9170. Prepare to leave a message because it is very difficult getting a hold of her with only a few days until the end of the school year.