WASHINGTON — In a few years, your child will get more time to eat lunch at elementary school.
The newly passed initiative proposed by the state superintendent will give kids 20 minutes of seated lunchtime, but it won’t go into effect until the 2029-2030 school year.
John Cashill is a Queen Anne Elementary School parent. On Monday morning, he dropped his daughter off with her full lunch bag in hand.
He told KIRO 7 that his daughter only has 5-10 minutes of lunchtime before she rushes out for recess, leaving most of her food behind in her lunchbox.
We spoke with teachers who say they also want the 20-minute minimum for students. Seattle educator Vaughan Amare tells us he’s been pushing for this for years.
“We have a portion of kids who would bypass the lunchroom altogether and run directly outside,” Amare said.
He said even though giving kids time to finish their lunches would make sure they stay focused in class, there are also some challenges with implementing a new schedule.
“I think people have to figure out how to navigate it, I think one of the pieces we are seeing is budgets and how to have staff supervisory time,” Amare said.
Some parents are apprehensive as well. Adam Starr has a six-year-old at Queen Anne as well, and he tells us she would have trouble sitting still for that long.
“My youngest daughter is picky. She wouldn’t eat for twenty minutes, Starr said.
At a January public hearing, 18 districts opposed the minimum, citing a lack of staffing and money.
The 20-minute minimum won’t happen until the 2029-2030 school year, giving schools some time to adjust.
“I would hope we could have a health plan, for their physical and mental and social wellbeing,” Amare said.
Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal did not respond to our requests for a comment about the law.
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