Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : District May Close High School Campuses During Lunch Hour : Education: Hart trustees indicate they favor changing policy. Student representative voices opposition.

High school students accustomed to flocking to nearby fast-food restaurants and grocery stores during lunch might find themselves limited to school cafeterias this fall.

The William S. Hart Union High School District’s board of trustees has asked district officials to develop proposals for closing the campuses of the city’s four traditional high schools during the school day.

Students in grades nine through 12 are currently allowed to leave campuses at the lunch hour, but all five of the board’s members indicated at a meeting Monday night they favor changing that policy.

A student representative at that meeting told the board that students strongly oppose the idea primarily because campuses lack adequate eating and restroom facilities. School officials acknowledged that significant renovations would have to be made to correct the lack of facilities.

The closed campus policy had been considered and rejected by the Hart board during the past few years but the board--which also at the meeting approved mandatory uniforms for students at a new junior high school--seems to be taking an increasingly conservative stance.

“The pendulum is swinging back,” said District Supt. Walter Swanson. “We are looking at things more socially conservative.”

Board President Paula Olivares, a supporter of open campuses when she joined the board 2 1/2 years ago, said she has changed her mind “180 degrees” since then.

“I would be a supporter of closing the campus completely,” she said. “I think it would be difficult to administer keeping part of the campus open and part of the campus closed.”

In addition to requiring all students to stay on campus, proposals discussed at the meeting included allowing only seniors to leave for lunch and a program that allowed students to earn the right to be off campus.

The board will consider the proposals at its July 13 meeting.

Only two of 15 Southern California school districts surveyed by Hart officials have an open campus policy, and one of those districts will close its campus this fall, said Cheryl Brown, principal of Saugus High School. She said seven districts have completely closed their campuses and six have modified programs that allow some students to leave during lunch.

Some of the closed campuses have allowed fast-food vendors such as Subway and Taco Bell on campus, which has proven a popular option among students, Brown added.

Closed campuses with a variety of eating facilities could generate up to $900,000 annually, according to district reports. However, several board members and school officials expressed concerns about the start-up and operating costs of the program.

A May 24 telephone survey of 137 parents in the Hart district indicated that 77% felt students should not leave campuses during lunch. Pam Raney, a parent who presented the survey results to the board, said concerns were expressed about students getting into traffic accidents and fights.

“As parents, we would like to see the students remain on campus for their own safety,” she said. “We are not seeking to punish them. We just want to know where they are.”

But the student representative told the board that closing campuses during lunchtime could result in an uproar. Kari Thatcher, a junior at Hart High School, cited long lines at the school cafeteria. She calls the quality of food deplorable.

“We can get better food (off campus),” she said, “and often it’s cheaper than eating at school.”

Kari said restroom facilities on campus are also a major concern. There are not enough of them, she told the board, and those that exist are so dirty many students refuse to use them.

She said additional campus supervisors would also be needed. “I think you can imagine the chaos of 2,000 students coming to one area to get lunch as quickly as possible and socialize,” Kari said.

School district officials said that merchants surveyed at fast-food restaurants and other businesses frequented by students at lunch favored closed campuses by a 56-36 margin. Those favoring the closed campus primarily cited unruly student behavior, although 56% of all merchants surveyed said they have not received complaints from other customers about students.

Thirty-three percent of the merchants said closing campuses would have a financial impact on their business.