Lincoln School Board hears proposal to allow students to leave campus during lunch

At the school board meeting on Monday, Nov. 9, one of the main discussions was a proposal to allow high school and possibly junior high students to leave the campus during lunch times.

School Board President Aaron Birkholz introduced the idea. He said if approved, there could be several contingencies such as temperature checks and a limitation on how many students can be in one vehicle. Birkholz said students are seeing teachers leave campus and feel it's unfair that they cannot.

However, School Superintendent Jennifer Packer clarified that teachers are only allowed to leave with special permission for important tasks, and are not coming and going often. One concern raised was how the students would come and go since the school doors are currently locked throughout the day. Additionally, there are two lunch periods, during which the students would need the door monitored to be let back into the school.

During the public comment discussion, Student Body President Lindsey Weisner had a thorough presentation, including a handout for the board, that made the case for leaving campus. Her reasons included student mental health considerations, money to businesses in town, the chance to run errands, and increased social distancing in the lunch room.

Weisner and other students feel that leaving campus provides them mental rest, and that the break in the day helps them focus throughout the second half of their classes. She also said students can't make it to the bank throughout the week because it is closed before they leave school and they have to wait until Fridays to go.

Another point made was that students spend money at Lincoln business every day when there is an open campus and it would benefit the businesses for the students to leave for lunch. The students proposed several limitations they would be willing to follow: that only the 9th-12th grades be allowed to leave, a check out/in book to track who leaves and when, temperature checks and a staggered scheduling of the classes. This would mean some grades would be allowed to leave on Mondays and Tuesdays and others on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The students are also open to a trial run of the proposal.

The School Board decided to revisit the issue at their December meeting. In the meantime Birkholz said policies would need to be drawn up. School Board member Wendi Dietz wanted staff input about their feelings on the matter, considering the possible risks involved. Packer said she would want to see better compliance from high school students in wearing their masks without staff having to instruct them to pull them up.

Another student requested they consider the possibility of allowing 7th and 8th graders to leave campus as well.

In a separate discussion,the School Board unanimously OK'd Outdoor Club functions this winter, including skiing, snowshoeing and ice skating. The Outdoor Club does not currently have a list of activities or scheduled times, however, they will begin that process not that they are approved to proceed.