On Dec. 20, the ETHS administration sent out an email that detailed cafeteria policy changes for the coming year. These changes will take effect during the second semester and are the culmination of a long process to determine the best school lunch policies.

At the start of the school year, students were assigned cafeterias, either North, East, South or West. This was similar to last year, but unlike last year, the enforcement of assigned cafeterias was much more strict. Students either had the option to go to their assigned cafeteria and eat or find an alternative option like the Academic Study Center or the Hub. The problem that a lot of students found with the non-cafeteria options was that they filled up quickly, and often students were turned away at the door. The main problem with going to assigned cafeterias was that, for many students, they weren’t necessarily put in cafeterias with their friends or even grade members.

Hearing all the complaints about the cafeteria policies, the ETHS administration put out a survey on Nov. 4 to collect student input and try to formulate a solution. They also discussed the policies with students at the Student Voice Forum on Dec. 12. These events concluded in the email sent out on Dec. 20, and it detailed a few new changes.

Firstly, South Cafeteria will become both a drop-in cafeteria and an assigned cafeteria, meaning that some students will still be assigned to that cafeteria, but others can dine there during lunch even if they have a different designated cafeteria. Additionally, students can now pick up a hot lunch from the cafeteria, and then return with it to eat in a teachers classroom, as long as they have a pass. All the other cafeteria policies from first semester will stay the same going into the new year.

The new changes are certainly an improvement in many students’ eyes, but some feel the administration could have done more.

“I feel that although there have been significant changes in the lunch program, the staff could make more of an effort to please the student body by completely opening the lunchrooms,” said sophomore Walker Travis.

For now, the new changes will be implemented in the coming semester, and the ETHS administration will observe the effects of their changes and continue to look for ways to improve the lunch system at school.

“ETHS will look carefully at the use of South Cafeteria,” wrote Assistant Superintendent and Principal Taya Kinzie in an email. “We will explore options, including outdoor spaces, by fourth quarter.”