As of this year students cannot consume any food or drinks except water in the classroom. Over the summer custodians found some mice in classrooms because of food, so I understand that the principal wants to keep the school clean. But as high schoolers I think we are mature enough to know that we need to clean up after ourselves.
For athletes they need to consume enough calories throughout the day to perform in games and at practice. If you have the last lunch of the day around 12, that’s roughly 5 hours without eating, and people are supposed to eat every 2-3 hours to maintain a healthy diet. With the smaller lunch portions, people are left hungry and want to eat snacks throughout the day. The school has also banned us from the vending machines until after school. Students would use the vending machines to buy food at lunch.
Studies show that eating less throughout the day causes you to overeat later in the day. Most healthy diets suggest snacking. The nurses at Hudson High suggest creating a designated snack time for everyone to eat in the morning. They say this would give a chance for kids who don’t eat breakfast to eat.
This change can affect learning because without food students can get tired, and if they don’t have the energy their performance in the classroom won’t be as good. They have always encouraged us to eat a good filling breakfast before testing, like MCAS, because it keeps us awake and keeps us thinking.
For me personally living with diabetes I need to eat throughout the day to keep my blood sugar at a constant level. When I need to pull out a granola bar in class and a teacher forgets, I don’t appreciate being called out for having to eat in class. This also becomes a safety issue because if my blood sugar is already low and dropping, it’s important I eat right away, and the nurse’s office can often be far from some of my classes. Going to the nurse can take away from a lot of class time.
On the other hand, the new rule is understandable. Other people have allergies to nuts and other foods, so we need to be cautious. However, if students are eating appropriate food and cleaning up after themselves, that should not be a problem.
