It is lunchtime at San Marcos High School and students with short schedules are filing off campus. For others who have a full schedule, leaving campus during lunch is unattainable. The closed campus policy has been enforced in all schools in the San Marcos Unified School District, but this is not uncommon. Over 70% of high schools nationwide have this policy implemented, according to the Public Health Advocacy Institute.

The closed campus policy is common amongst high schools because it helps keep students safe and secure on campus. Safety issues tend to arise when students are allowed to go anywhere at all times since supervisors can’t keep an eye on them or know their whereabouts. The downside of a closed campus is that students are not able to access services such as restaurants or drug stores during school hours. This means that student food options are limited and the student body does not have much freedom. Many students who attend San Marcos High think that an open campus would be more beneficial.

Senior Josseyln Lozada-Duran has five periods, including a zero period, and she believes that an open campus would be beneficial specifically to her school schedule.

“I would probably take more classes knowing that we could have off-campus lunch because I would know I’m not just limited to the food here,” said Lozada-Duran.

 Lozada Duran also emphasizes how school lunches may not meet students’ dietary needs. Students may be running late and forget their lunch. Going off campus during lunchtime would allow students to get the food that’s fit for them. Although, some students think we should keep the policy the way it is. 

“An open campus wouldn’t benefit us at all. We don’t have enough time to be leaving campus and waiting in long lines just to get food, then not even having enough time to eat it,” said sophomore Josue Jurado. 

Jurado mentions the fact that having an open campus would allow everyone to leave, not just people with cars. He explains that 30 minutes wouldn’t be enough time for everyone to walk or bike to fast food joints and then back. He also points out that having an open campus would bring lots of security issues, anyone could come onto campus at any time.

“I think there could be a middle ground. The school could give passes to some kids that would allow them to go off campus and then come back on. That way random people can’t get on campus cause it would technically still be closed,” said Jurado.

San Marcos High School and all the other schools in the San Marcos Unified School District are able to maintain an environment with minimal distractions through this policy. Without it, many security issues could happen and absences could spike.

“The closed campus policy is important because it keeps our school super safe,” said Assistant Principal Carisa Froelich.

Froelich explains that anyone who comes onto campus, whether they are parents or volunteers, has to sign into a database. This database helps filter out who comes onto campus by running background checks to see if there is any history of crimes, specifically crimes committed against minors. This way the administration can ensure that nobody is coming on campus who shouldn’t be.

Having an open campus doesn’t just mean that students can go get some Starbucks whenever they want, it also means that our campus would be open to anyone. School should be a safe environment and students shouldn’t have to worry about being in danger.