Open Campus?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-06-2006
Open Campus?
16
Wed, 08-01-2007 - 10:54am

C and I met yesterday with her counselor at the new hs she will be attending soon. We learned, during the session, that the school has an 'open campus'. Add to this a near full-hour lunch break and the thought makes me decidedly uneasy. C, of couse, was thrilled no end. She has grand plans of getting her license in October and driving wherever she wants and doing whatever she wants during lunch.

DH and I told her 'no way you stay on campus' to which she pointed out that DH and I, as hs students had taken advantage of open campus so why couldn't she? We can only use the 'it's a different world now' excuse so often.

I tried to explain to her that when she is not at school, she is under OUR care, supervision and authority and while she is at school, she is under the care, supervision and authority of the school administration. If she leaves the campus during lunch, who will know where she is, who she is with, etc.? She was rather annoyed, to say the least.

This is such a huge change from the school we left behind in California (where the kids were pretty much locked in once the first bell rang and there was security posted at all the gates) and I'm sure that is contributing a little to my unease.

Just wondering if anyone else out there has experience or some thoughts on an open campus policy.

Thanks,
Julie




Edited 8/1/2007 10:55 am ET by hydrangea_blue

 

 

 

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iVillage Member
Registered: 11-05-1998
Wed, 08-01-2007 - 11:12am

My sons' high school has open lunch (AKA open campus), and while some kids leave and head out to Taco Bell or Little Caesar's, many, many kids never leave--my own among them. At our school, many of the clubs and organizations hold their meetings during the lunch hour rather than after school, so a lot of kids are eating their brown-bag lunch in some empty classroom while participating in a club meeting. My older son is in meetings three days a week during lunch--he doesn't have time to go gallivanting.

Also, our local police patrols are increased in the area surrounding the HS during the lunch hour and are very visible. There's not much peeling out of the school parking lot or stuff like that, and the kids know not to cut through a neighborhood of mostly older people on their way to fast-food heaven--if they're caught, they get in-school detention (during lunch hour, naturally).

I think your daughter may find that the excitement of "open campus" wears off pretty quickly after the novelty is over.

Elizabeth

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-14-2006
Wed, 08-01-2007 - 11:16am

Leah's school is an open campus - and this started in 7th grade - you can imagine that parents and kids received this information with different emotions ("they can leave campus?" ..."mom, guess what, we can leave campus!") LOL.

I decided to take the "permit but lecture" approach (or maybe Ronald Reagan's old "trust but verify"). We spent time talking to L about how to be safe, always travel with friends, etc. I think the kids really liked/appreciated that they were being given this trust. The real prize is to have a free period either just before or just after lunch - called a "double lunch". To be honest with you, many kids L knows use this freedom to go off campus to smoke (cigs or pot) or drink. I've been lucky that L is motivated to do well in school, so she (as far as I can tell) uses this time to go get lunch, or run to Starbucks, or hang out in the courtyard, or in the park - she doesn't want to be late for class or to be unable to attend to classwork. Her school, while open, also has strict punishments for lateness. Does C's school have that?

The driving thing would make it different - kids can't drive in NYC until they're at least 17 - and the campus is in a city, so they can walk to what they want to do.

I have to admit, the first time L said "guess what mom, there's a Steve Madden store on XX Street (10 blocks from school)!" I was flabbergasted at how far they could get at lunchtime!

HTH

Sue

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 08-01-2007 - 11:49am

Oh, Julie, you don't want to hear from me on this one.

It depends on your kids. It was not a problem with DS1, although we were only here for his senior year. DS3, as a freshman, has only left a few times(I think they occasionally get a double lunch-otherwise he worries about being late)

DS2 took full advantage. He left for lunch and didnt come back-he wasnt the only one but the school doesnt have the cafeteria space to feed everyone and there is no room to expand. He never ate at school in all 4 years; he found someone to give him a ride from day one(senior girls drove him his freshman year)

Lunch was also when his big accident happened; its chaos, even with staff and police(one of the deans took to standing on the roof!!!!)

DS3 turns 16 in Nov but I dont anticipate him driving to school for awhile-more so because of the lunch thing than getting to and from. And of course they pile them in cars even if they are not allowed passengers yet and no one does anything because how do you know who is a newbie driver and who has had their license for 2 yrs by looking-they are all high schoolers

But..what are you going to do. You cannot call the school and say "my child is not allowed to leave campus"; they will not enforce it. She will be on her honor. Theres the whole fitting in thing(I was thrilled that DS3 walked to lunch those few time because it meant he had friends)

I would limit the driving. Maybe allow her to drive to and from but not to lunch and do a surprise parking lot inspection once in awhile. After 6 mos of driving, maybe that can change?

Avatar for mjaye2002
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 08-01-2007 - 1:09pm

Hi, Julie! I should probably keep my mouth shut on this because where we live is soooooo much different than where you are, but....well, have you ever known me to keep my mouth shut??? LOL

Anyway, our hs is open campus. I like it and the kids love it. But hey, in a town of 2000, where are ya gonna go???? In like 30 min??? My kids can now come home for lunch, nuke something and then go back. Apparently, our cafeteria food lacks a LOT to be desired! (And if the Turkey Day lunches I went to when they were elementary kids are any indication, then they're right!!!)

I don't know what to tell you...she'll be a new driver come October, and that is scary enough as it is (for a mom). I'm not sure who said it, but I think it's a good idea to go check out the hs at lunch and see if it's a nightmare or not--do lots of kids leave? Are they ALL driving? I mean, there will be some amount of organized chaos, I'm sure, but is it *really* that bad? I would hate to just simply say no and that be the end of it. What if all her new friends go somewhere at lunch? I would hate to see her get left behind. With my older, I was more worried about him not getting back in time. Amazingly, he was never late! One of those,'geez, I guess he IS becoming more responsible' moments. :)

That didn't help at all, did it??? ;)

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-28-1999
Wed, 08-01-2007 - 1:26pm

Our h.s. didn't have an open campus unless the child was declared "emancipated" after the age of 18 w/ parent's permission. Funny, I never found time to sign that paper, but it was only for the last 2 mos. of school anyway. They only have about 1/2 hr for lunch, so there wouldn't be much time to go anywhere except for the local Dunkin Donuts.

The one thing they did have was "senior privilege", which means that seniors who have study first period can come in late and if they have it last, they can leave early. You have to have good grades AND parent's permission to be allowed to do that. Of course, my DD loved the extra hour of sleep.

I don't remember where you live. I can see that you would be nervous about a new driver (and a whole bunch of other new drivers) taking off at lunch and maybe rushing to get back. I don't think the risk of having a car accident is any more today than when we were young. I remember one of my friends got her license, a few days later she drove a bunch of people out to eat after the football game and sideswiped a car in the parking lot. Are you going to have her driver herself to school right after she gets her license? Maybe you could just say that she has to have her driver's license for a certain amount of time (w/ no violations or accidents) before she can drive anywhere at lunchtime.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-06-2006
Wed, 08-01-2007 - 7:32pm

Thanks for your thoughts! I *hope* my DD gets involved in enough clubs and activities right away to fill up that lunch hour -- and it very nearly is a full hour. I doubt we will let her start driving to/from school the moment she gets her license so hopefully, this will all be a moot point. I think I'm just a little unnerved by how much different this school is (in more ways than just this one!) than the one she attended last year.

Thanks again.

 

 

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-06-2006
Wed, 08-01-2007 - 7:39pm

Oh, Lordy! Open campus at 7th grade? Yikes ... and I thought it was unsettling at high school?

I'll have to check on the tardy policy. The counselor was so non-chalant about kids leaving and not returning to school (and it sounds like they knew which kids wouldn't) and about most everything in general (more on that another time; I'm still processing) that it was rather unnerving to me as a parent.

There is enough to do (as far as shopping and eating) that is in close proximity to the school that I can see how appealing it would be to C to have that freedom. I remember going home for lunch (with my bf) with only a 35 minute lunch when I was in hs.

It doesn't look like C will be getting her license at the stroke of midnight on her 16th bday, so I am most likely over-reacting. As usual.

Thanks for your input!

 

 

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-1999
Wed, 08-01-2007 - 7:41pm

Our hs has open campus starting in 9th grade... and they also have some pretty intense penalties for being late coming back or failing to come back after lunch.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-06-2006
Wed, 08-01-2007 - 8:29pm

<<...but the school doesnt have the cafeteria space to feed everyone and there is no room to expand...>>

I think this is an issue at this school too. C and I took a self-guided tour of the school and we both wondered aloud how an 1800 person student body fit into the space allotted for eating -- especially on days it snows. This is probably the reason open-campus lunches got startedin the first place -- too many kids.

You are exactly right. I can't forbid her leaving campus, but I would like to discourage it if at all possible. But then, there really is that whole 'fitting in' thing and of course we want her to make friends and fit in as much as possible, seeing how we uprooted both kids and they will be starting all over again. {{Trying SO hard not to feel guilty here ....}}

Limiting the driving is a good idea. Seeing as how she will have to learn to drive all over again because of the snow factor (heck, I don't even know how to drive in the snow) it hopefully won't be much of an issue ... unless of course, she hops into someone else's car ...

Thanks so much for your thoughts!

 

 

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-06-2006
Wed, 08-01-2007 - 8:36pm

Hey Mitzi! Thanks for your opinions on this whole thing. The initial "OMG" factor has faded after reading everyone responses.

You all are right. As much as I would like to say no on this, the making friends and fitting in factor is going to be an important one (can you feel my guilt?) so we are going to have to compromise on this one.

I think I will go down and watch the lunch-time proceedings once school starts, see what sorts of things are going on, etc. C does tend to be pretty responsible (although prone to dawdling and procrastinating) so there is probably some negotiation room here.

Thanks again for your thoughts!

 

 

 

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