To eat? Or not to eat?

Rangeview High School has had a rocky start in past years with the introduction of quarantine and online learning forcing students to stay at home in front of a computer screen from hours on end. In 2021 Raiders were back in school with restrictions and requirements that had to be met for safety. Later in 2021, the closed campus was in place due to shootings at neighboring schools. The year is 2022 and those problems are in the past and RHS is on the way to recovering lost years, but are the problems gone? The answer is no–the problems aren’t gone and the truth is that they will never be gone. Lunch is the start of these problems and should be free for all kids attending school due to low income families. While this problem is severe there are solutions, so if you want free lunch for any reason then read on.

During back to school in 2021, spirits were low for students and staff but a shining light was visible with the introduction of free lunch and breakfast. This treat was short-lived with 2022 bringing lunch and breakfast from no charge to $1.75 for breakfast and $3.00 for lunch. Although these are district changes, Raiders were not pleased with the changes. 

Some are not phased by these recent changes but the freshmen have the worst of it. All freshmen are required to stay on campus during school hours unless they have an off period near the end of the day or start of that day. With this in place, Freshmen are required to stay on campus and eat lunch for $3.00, or make their own food at home. How are kids expected to learn with low levels of energy when they are lacking their nutrient requirements to function? The level of attention for studies has dropped significantly recently. While this could be the results of the aftermath of Covid it doesn’t mean it’s not contributing. Students have reported that there isn’t just one reason why they lose attention in school. As Raiders and a district, they need to reduce the amount of reasons as much as possible.

Interviews took place to get the opinion of the students and staff. A staff member at Rangeview said “…it seems like a small number but it continues to add up with breakfast and lunch. I would choose to pack his lunch because of the prices. It would be cheaper and healthier.” 

The majority of students interviewed that knew about the pricing on lunch stated that “we should go back to prior lunches.” So the students at RHS seem less than pleased with recent changes to the breakfast and lunch pricing. These changes start with the Raiders and the families of the Raiders.

While it may seem hopeless and impossible to pay for lunch and breakfast, what if Raiders didn’t have to pay at all? This dream can be a reality and this reality is created in 2 different ways. One of the easiest ways for some Raider families is to apply for free and reduced lunch. 

By going to https://www.payschoolscentral.com/. By going through sign in and applying for free or reduced lunch you may qualify for free food. The second option to get free lunch is a November ballot that parents and students over 18 can vote on to get free lunch for kids, starting next year. While this solution isn’t perfect it’s a start to a better learning environment for kids. Tell your parents to vote on the ballot and to see if you qualify for free/reduced lunch this year. This system of free/reduced lunch was created for people with low income, large families, suffering from unemployment, and many more reasons. With inflation rising rapidly the middle class is beginning to fall into lower income families but the qualifications still don’t change. While this system isn’t perfect by any means and won’t ever truly be perfect, it’s the only option for schools around the world and the Raider family.

When it comes to Rangeview’s rocky starts this start can be different. In the past, the pandemic had little work-arounds but now Raiders can create change. So vote, get involved in some way and let’s have a great kickoff to the 2022-2023 school year!