Lunch is a time for students to calm down and reboot. Some might wish to spend it at home or at their favorite restaurant. However most sophomores, although legally allowed to drive, are not permitted to leave campus during their lunchtime. This is absurd. The rule needs to be re-evaluated.

School administrators have changed the infamous rule several times throughout the school’s existence before it was eventually finalized about 10 years ago. The closed-campus lunch rule was put into effect due to the abundance of wrecks caused by students during the lunch hour. However, many things have changed in 10 years. Sophomore students should be given the chance to prove they can be responsible drivers.

Sophomores who can legally drive and own their own car should not be forced to stay on campus. All students with a valid driver’s license drive to and from school. They all park in the same parking lots. There have been no complaints about sophomores causing wrecks. Students who have their license completed the state required course and test to get it. If that license is good enough to drive on any road or highway in Texas, it should be good enough to drive down the street for lunch.

Because sophomores and freshmen share a lunch period, sophomore drivers would be the only students leaving campus during that time. Since upperclassmen are in class, city streets and the school parking lot will be less crowded.  This would give sophomores the chance to leave and return to campus without worrying about other student drivers. It would also give administrators a chance to see if sophomore students can be trusted to drive safely.

Although I understand the reasoning behind the rule, I believe sophomores should be given a chance to prove they can be responsible drivers during the lunch hour. It is time for the administration to take a second look at this rule.