It took just a couple of days for our new school lunch and hallway policies to be frustrating for some at CHS. Whether it’s the lack of passing time, the fact we have to stay in the cafeteria, not being able to open the doors for your friends, or the simple fact that the bell schedule has been confusing. For students I spoke with, this has made a frustrating lunch experience.

To shed some light on why these changes to the rules are happening, I spoke with our new principal Mr. Marin Miller.

First off, I think it’s important to mention that I didn’t interview staff or students. I simply overheard frustration in the many conversations through the hallways and classrooms. Also, many of my friends at school also had some pretty strong opinions and feelings towards these new lunch policies.

Now, when I had the privilege to actually speak to Principal Miller, I was pleasantly welcomed into his office and we had a rather deep conversation. When asking why these changes were made Miller simply stated, “These were always school board policies.” Quite simply, these requirements were just never enforced in the past, but now Miller is clamping down and enforcing the rules that were supposed to be in place.

I was surprised when he said that the feedback he has heard was mainly positive. He said, “It depends, but yes, I have heard a lot of feedback about being safe.” He said that one of the main complaints from students here at the school is that they do not feel safe and whether that is because of the open lunch or other reasons, Miller believes these rules are a step in the right direction to make our students feel more comfortable at CHS.

The message that our principal left for the students was all these rules are “a matter of safety” and he encourages juniors and seniors who are eligible to get their off campus passes.

In conclusion, the principal Marin Miller seems to be a upstanding and respectful man who only wants the best for this school and those in it. Even if that means there will be a few frustrated kids during lunch, he thinks it’s all worth it.