By Celine Hoang, Co-Editor-in-Chief & Laura Le, Business Manager
Active Sept. 30, Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) will no longer accept any lunch, electronics or cash to be dropped off at the table in front of the office. In addition, the office will not be accepting any food that is delivered from UberEATS, Postmates or any other delivery services.
“I wanted to remind our community that FVHS is a closed campus. We do not allow anyone who is not a student or staff member on campus who has not been pre-approved or has checked in [at] the front office,” said Principal Morgan Smith Ed.d.
However, parents can still drop off non-food items at the table that meet the guidelines stated above.
If parents must drop off lunches for their students, they can meet their student at the North Gate, located near the 300 hallways. From there, supervision can verify parent identification and students can meet their parent to pick up their lunch.
In the case that a student forgets to bring their lunch, parents can access the Nutrition Services website to put money on their student’s ID card as well.
“This [policy] is essential to the safety and security of our students and controlling who and what comes on campus,” said Smith.
The policy implemented was not a change to school policy, but an enforcement of current district policies, which states that “Visitors shall, upon request, furnish to principal or designee the following information: His/her name, Address and occupation; His/her age, if less than 21; His/her purpose for entering school grounds; Proof of identity; Other information consistent with the provisions of the law.”
It is now being strictly enforced because of an increase of parents and individuals claiming to be a friend of the student and dropping off lunches everyday. As a result, the front office is unable to ensure that a person is who they say they are or that they’re dropping off a lunch.
“It has become unmanageable for the office staff and they are unable to prevent non-students from entering campus when there is a rush of students collecting lunches from parents and friends in the front office,” said Smith.
Their goal is to prevent anyone that should not be on campus from making their way onto campus.
“I hope that students and parents will support what we’re trying to do. We live in a day and age where taking every precaution we can to ensure student safety is paramount,” said Smith.
