Days after a Quince Orchard High School student was found suffering an apparent overdose inside the bathroom of a McDonald’s near the school, the school’s principal announced stricter enforcement of the off-campus lunch policy.
In a tweet, Quince Orchard Principal Elizabeth Thomas wrote that “In light of the continued safety concerns & disruptive behaviors that have taken place off school property,” the school would “actively enforce” existing policies about who can leave the Gaithersburg, Maryland, campus for lunch and under what conditions.
According to the policy, all ninth and tenth grade students would be barred from leaving campus for lunch.
Juniors and seniors will have to show their current school ID to check in and out with staff at one of two exits on school property.
Upperclassmen would also not be allowed to “access vehicles” or leave in their cars from the property without the permission of staff, and they would be expected to “behave courteously and respectfully” to staff, students, the public and at the businesses located in the community when out during lunch period, in accordance with the Montgomery County Public Schools’ student code of conduct.
Violations of the lunch policy would result in consequences from a reminder, parental notification, and “administrative documentation” to having their open lunch privileges revoked entirely.
Thomas concludes the statement by saying, “We are not going to waver from this policy and need everyone’s support. This policy requires a shared commitment by everyone.”
