Image provided by: West Linn High School; West Linn, OR
About The amplifier. (West Linn, Oregon) 1921-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2010)
4 December Forum Off-campus policy obscure, freshmen leave at lunch Lunch — time for students to take a "brainbreak," socialize and chat with friends. Some sophomores and other upperclassmen drive or walk to restaurants and coffee shops, while freshmen, well, what do they do? According to the closed campus policy in the student handbook, freshmen are not allowed to leave campus at lunchtime unless they have a signed note by a parent or guardian stating they may do so. But the district board policy states that "elementary and middle school students are not allowed to leave school at any time during the day unless excused with a note and accompanied by a parent/guardian." This policy does not say anything about us high school students leaving. "I think the rule was created because parents might have been worried about their freshman kids going off campus without get there; you just walk out the front doors of the school and cross the street to the house. No one ever asked me where I was going, so couldn't I permission in cars with upperclassmen," Lou Bailey, principal, said. Last year when I was a freshman, sometimes I would walk to the restaurants and Market of Choice, freshmen students could easily walk straight down to shops and stores off of our campus. Last year, I frequently walked or.F Noah Bagley and Mackenzie Hartegen, freshmen, eat lunch in the new commons on Dec. 13 with other freshmen. Although they are eating on campus, many freshmen leave at lunch despite a rule prohibiting this policy. have easily walked right past the house down to a restaurant? Seeing how close the YoungLife house is to YoungLife house for lunch with my friends. It is a popular lunch venue that is adjacent to our campus. It is easy to with my freshmen friends down to Market of Choice, Taco del Mar, Starbucks and other nearby locations for lunch. Today, it is not Bush tax cuts place financial burden on middle class of financial disasters are continued from page 3 What would be so wrong about simply letting the cuts for the richest two percent of Americans expire, as planned by the Republicans in the first place? Sure, taxes would go up for the richest in America. But when taxes are at those kinds of levels, the debt is under control, corporations are kept in better check so they don't implode, and a multitude a v o id e d . S o m e g a y t t e r a ------- --- progressive tax system is punishing the successful for being successful. I say that successful citizens have their share to pay too. Successful citizens have a duty, just like all Americans, to fund programs that everyone benefits from, like roads, schools, clean air initiatives and police departments. They also have a duty to help those who are ' less fortunate by helping to fu n d w e lfa re a n d they receive tax cuts. People m id d le cla ss u n e m p lo y m e n t in su ra n c e . a n d lo w er, th e m a jo rity The wealthy can and should make that sacrifice, because they have not been for the last ten years, and look what's happened because of it. The burden was put on the backs of the middle class and lower, who are losing their jobs and struggling like never before. Those are the ones that deserve a break. Those are the ones that will drive the economy when of Americans, are not benefiting from the mess that the Bush tax cuts started. And when the majority is benefiting, America is benefiting. Please direct all hate mail to elisepolisciwOOt@gmail.com. How do you feel about the school offering bottled sports drinks, but no bottled water? "I think the school should offer it because it's bet ter for you and it has no sugar." "I think they should sell it because it's better for you and more satisfy ing for your thirst." —Kye Ellingson, freshman —Aileen Domann, sophomore abnormal to see freshmen leaving campus during lunchtime. "I really don't have a problem with them leaving campus for lunch," Bailey said. "It's more of an issue between parents and their kids, and what parents believe is the best choice for them. I don't know how we can expect freshmen to follow this policy since we cannot enforce it due to so many exit points." Freshmen are new to the school and its rules, and may not even know about the rule in the first place. That is why there has been talk of our school, along with Wilsonville High School, dropping the policy next year. "We are talking with Wilsonville and the superintendent. We have not really processed anything about this, but we are currently working on it." Bailey said. Freshmen will continue to leave campus against the rules at lunch unless the policy is enforced or eliminated altogether. If you ask me, I don't think this rule is, or ever really was, relevant. I think that the best way to solve this issue is to eliminate th e r u le a ll to g e th e r , so freshmen too can take full advantage of their new and fun high school privileges. "The district is going to continue to explore this issue," Bailey said. "We reccomend freshmen stay on campus, but again, it's impossible to enforce." STUDENTS speak ou t "You don't need bottled water because there's free water all around us in the water fountains." —Evric Jenkins, junior "You can get water from water fountains so I don't think it really makes a difference if it's bottled or not." —Courtney Bromley, senior
