If you pull up to Chick-fil-A for a late lunch, chances are there is going to be a line full of high school students, many of them from Etowah who often leave campus to go to lunch during school hours. 

“I went to Chick-fil-A on Tuesday with my two-year old niece, and I saw a couple of high schoolers eating together; it was still school time,” Kerri Ledford, Etowah parent, said.  

When a student gets caught, the consequences may seem over the top to some. For the first offense, students get one day of ISS. The student who drove off campus faces additional discipline: fifteen day’s suspension of their parking pass.  The more students skip the more ISS they receive. The driver continues to receive more days without the coveted parking pass, as well. 

“I was walking to lunch when I saw someone about to get in their car, and someone who worked at the school went up to them, and I think they were heading to the principal’s office,” Clayton Webb, sophomore, said. 

If a student was to get into a car accident, or if something was to happen while they were out getting lunch, they would be responsible for the damages that were done to their car. The school is not liable for the student if they get hurt since students are not supposed to leave campus in the first place.  

“Students are ultimately responsible for leaving, and them getting hurt is one of the reasons we’re against it,” Justin Sanderson, assistant principal, said. 

Etowah is making efforts to stop students from skipping or leaving campus during lunch periods. The school has specific teachers on duty to watch for students who may be leaving.  

“The school has even gotten fast food restaurants and grocery stores to look out for kids who may be skipping,” Sanderson said.  

Local fast food restaurants and grocery stores watch out for possible skippers. The employees will contact the school’s and tell them what may be going on.  

“I work at Chick-fil-A, and my co-workers said that during school hours they are supposed to watch for students who might be skipping their lunch period,” Becca Clark, freshman, said.   

When students leave the school, not thinking much of it, they should realize that it is more than just getting lunch. Before coming to school, students could leave a little earlier to pick up lunch from the fast food restaurant of their choice and put it in their lunchboxes. It will help keep people from getting into trouble and it will also be beneficial to the school keeping the school from being sued.