Should the students of Gulf Breeze be able to leave for lunch? The short answer is no. While many students like the idea of leaving, faculty and staff at Gulf Breeze expressed great concern about the dangers of leaving for lunch. The main reason being Route 98, which passes through the school and creates an opportunity of risking students’ safety during school hours.  

The idea of leaving for lunch has been brought to attention during district school board meetings by the principal of Gulf Breeze, Mr. Brothers, but has not gained traction. Mr. Brothers also stated, “Even when I was in school, we were not allowed to leave campus.”  

Despite the fact that students are not allowed to leave, many students do not agree with the idea. Students like William Benz, a senior at Gulf breeze, expressed his opinion on the idea of leaving for lunch. Benz said, “High school is preparing us for college so we should be allowed to leave,” and added that the nutrition of lunch at the school is not enough for a teenager. 

The nutritional aspect of school has also caused an increase in students wanting to eat off campus. While students are recommended to eat during lunch, some decide against eating due to the somewhat lacking meal choices. The negative effects of kids not eating are very apparent because it is said that teens consume up to half their calories from school alone, which is important for developing children. 

Giulia Strazzeri, a foreign exchange student from Italy, had a lot to say on the topic of leaving for lunch. Strazzeri stated, “Many people don’t have time for food due to the long lines so they should be able to sign a waiver to leave.” Strazzeri also understood the dangers in leaving but expressed how the use of a student and parent waiver could bypass the problem. 

Throughout the current school year many students have left campus even though it is against conduct, which has created problems for the school and the district as they enforce the code. The simple fix would be to implement a waiver for off campus travel within the district but given the stance of the district it would take a legitimate arguable reason to persuade them in their decisions. 

Josh Jacobs, a varsity lacrosse player at Gulf Breeze explained his take on leaving for lunch. Jacob said, “If we are responsible enough to drive to school every day, then we should be allowed to access many of the local restaurants that are within walking distance of the school.” 

While the safety of leaving campus could be a topic for future arguments, the Santa Rosa School Board has made it clear that they have no plan to change the regulations and codes of the school. Most students, however, have a strong opinion and explanation of why they should be allowed to eat lunch off campus and should be heard.