District’s New Lunch Policy Draws Quick Criticism : Schools: The idea was to offer the same fast-food choices in a closed-campus environment at Hawthorne and Leuzinger highs. But some students say the meals just aren’t the same.

Stretched out on the grass during lunchtime, Jeffrey Norman looked inside the brown McDonald’s bag and got angry.

The Hawthorne High School student had plunked down $3.50 for the two-cheeseburger combo. He found the burgers, but something was missing.

“They put chips in here and a soda. No french fries,” the freshman said, tossing the small bag of chips on the grass. “McDonald’s isn’t McDonald’s without french fries.”

Another unsatisfied customer. And there have been plenty.

This year, the Centinela Valley Union High School District implemented a closed-campus policy that prohibits students at Hawthorne and Leuzinger high schools from leaving campus during lunchtime without written approval from their parents. Residents and some business owners had complained about students causing trouble in surrounding neighborhoods.

To placate the students, the district invited five fast-food vendors--Taco Bell, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Subway Sandwiches and McDonald’s--to operate on the campuses.

But, to the dismay of some students, the meals offered aren’t the same as those offered at the restaurants. Norman’s fries, for example, were replaced with potato chips because the vendor can’t keep the spuds warm in the portable serving cart.

Still, Centinela officials said they plan to stick with the vendors, predicting that students will get used to the adjusted service.

Having fast-food outlets on campus is a rare but not novel move.

Leuzinger and Hawthorne, along with Paramount High School, are the only high schools in Los Angeles County offering fast food on campus.

In Paramount, which had similar problems with students roaming nearby neighborhoods, administrators said they have had success with Taco Bell, Pollo Loco, and Subway on campus.

Capistrano Valley High School in Orange County launched a fast-food court last September, and the Capistrano Unified School District recently approved the addition of food courts at two other high schools. Those campuses aren’t closed, though; officials said they just wanted to give the students more variety.

Parents of students at Hawthorne and Leuzinger say they are happy that their children are on campus instead of on the sometimes-troublesome streets. But the verdict is still out on whether students will take to the idea.

District officials figured that since most of the students ate at the fast-food restaurants in the neighborhood, they would appreciate having it on campus during lunch.

Maybe not. The fast food is not prepared on campus, prompting complaints from students about its freshness. Students are also disappointed that the vendors don’t offer their full menus and that the food lines are long.

“There isn’t enough cheese on the pizza,” said Hawthorne senior Betty Meneses, picking at a pizza from Pizza Hut. “Yesterday, it was soggy. One day, I tried the Subway sandwich and the mayonnaise was spoiled.”

The long lines, however, seem to indicate the food is still popular with many students.

Centinela Valley schools Superintendent Joseph M. Carillo said that complaints will subside once students get used to the new policy. The campus policy allows school officials to keep closer watch on students.

Many students who previously would leave campus during lunch often wouldn’t come back, Carillo said. People who didn’t belong on campus would find a way in. The district had also received complaints from police, business people and residents who said students would loiter on their property, start fights in restaurants or commit vandalism.

To deal with more students staying on campus for lunch, teachers were reassigned to campus supervision, and security guards kept tabs on all exits.

Off campus, there is mixed reaction to the new policy. Some restaurant owners said the students caused trouble, but others depended on them for business.

“I don’t like the kids coming here,” said Seung Hwang of the Don Don teriyaki restaurant on Prairie Avenue near Leuzinger High. “We had a lot of trouble, broken windows, gang fights. We had to call the police all the time.”

But Frank Cheng, the owner of Premium Doughnuts on Prairie, said the closed-campus policy has hurt his business.

“Lunchtime is very different now,” he said, sitting alone in his small doughnut shop, which was usually full during the noon hour.

“Ninety-five percent of the kids are good,” Cheng added, “It’s the other 5% they should keep in school.”

Larry Alexander, the manager at El Pollo Loco on Prairie, said he heard about Leuzinger’s fast-food bonanza from his next-door neighbors--the employees at Taco Bell who were delivering burritos to the school.

“Lunchtime profits have taken a 20% dip,” said Alexander, who plans to call the district to see if he can set up shop at Leuzinger. “We had to decrease employee hours. We used to have seven (employees) on at lunch, now we have four.”

Having the likes of McDonald’s and Pizza Hut on campus so far has not hurt business at the schools’ cafeteria, officials said. Some students bring their lunch, and others, especially those on the district’s free- and reduced-meal programs, still eat in the cafeterias.