Long Lunch Lines At LTHS South Campus: Student

LA GRANGE, IL – Many students are spending most of their lunch period standing in line for food at Lyons Township High School's South Campus, a student said last week.

At a school board meeting, senior Lochlan McElroy urged members to evaluate the school's cafeteria contract with Maryland-based Sodexo.

McElroy said students regularly spend 75 percent of their lunch period in line. Lunch lasts 25 minutes.

"Students have to routinely wait for close to 15 to 20 minutes just to receive their food, leaving little time to eat, let alone enjoy their meal," McElroy said. "Nutrition is not just about food on the plate. It's also about the environment in which we consume it."

He continued, "A rushed lunch is a stressful lunch, and stress does not sit well with digestion or with the educational environment that we strive to create."

McElroy said he based his commentary on a survey of 70 fellow students, calling himself a representative of the "many voices that often go unheard in the bustling hallways."

He asked the board to consider a solution for affordable and healthier options at lunch.

"The rising prices in our cafeteria begs the question, are we as an educational institution facilitating a system that might inadvertently contribute to food insecurity among our students?" he said. "The current state of our heavily processed and small portion sizes are meals that leave stomachs growling, prices that make wallets weak and a nutritional value that is at best questionable."

Following its policy on public comments, the school board did not respond to McElroy.

Patch left a message for comment with the school about waits at South Campus.