Shawnee may close campus for freshmen during lunchtime

SHAWNEE — Superintendent Marilyn Bradford will present a plan to end off-campus lunch privileges for the district's ninth-graders at tonight's school board meeting.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the Shawnee Administration Building, 326 N Union.

The board will not vote on the plan until June. The proposal calls for ninth-graders to remain on campus during lunch and tweaks the lunch schedule to accommodate the increased demands on the cafeteria, Bradford said.

Safety concerns are the main reason administrators want to close the campus for the ninth-graders, she said.

Parents in the district have expressed concern about ninth-graders leaving the campus during the lunch period with older students, she said.

Some parents are worried the young drivers might get into a traffic accident while rushing to and from classes.

Bradford said the changes also would help the district prepare for increased demands on class time in the future.

Starting in 2008-09, all students in Oklahoma will be required to pass four of seven state exams to graduate.

Bradford said keeping freshmen on campus will allow the district to adjust the high school bell schedule to increase the class time in some subjects from 50 minutes to 70 minutes.

Administrators will meet with parents from the district's junior high and elementary schools during May to get their feedback on the plan, Bradford said.

She said the input will be used to prepare a proposal that will be formally presented to the board for consideration in June.