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No more lunch at Glenwood High?

Kelley Cox/Post IndependentEdith Brenal serves lunch on Thursday to Glenwood Springs High School students, from left, Lizbeth Anaya, Marissa Molina and Josh Cowling.
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GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colorado ” Despite a nice new kitchen at Glenwood Springs High School, too few students are lining up at the lunch counter to justify keeping the school’s food service program.

Some options are being considered, and a final decision won’t be made until sometime in April. But as it stands, the numbers aren’t adding up to keep the hot lunch program going, Roaring Fork School District Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Shannon Pelland said at Wednesday’s school board meeting.

“It’s just too hard to keep students at the school during lunch with so many other options close by,” she said.



The school has an open campus policy, which allows students to leave school during lunch as long as they are back in time for the afternoon bell.

Only about 75 students a day are taking advantage of the school’s hot lunch program, she said. The rest are either leaving campus, or they are bringing their own lunch to school.

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“Even with staffing cuts, we would be looking at a $20,000 loss,” Pelland said.

The other high schools in the district that have food service, Roaring Fork High in Carbondale and Basalt High School, have greater participation, though they still just break even or require a small subsidy, she said.

And, even though both of the upvalley schools have open campus policies, both school buildings are in more remote locations and nearby dining options are limited.

“It’s hard for the kids, especially the younger students, to get anywhere,” Pelland said of Roaring Fork and Basalt.

“But in Glenwood, within three blocks there are probably 15 options, and they don’t want to stay at school.”

Pelland said Glenwood could continue to offer some a la carte options at the school. Other alternatives may also be assessed, she said.

Superintendent Judy Haptonstall said she has also spoken with Glenwood High Principal Paul Freeman about possibly using the kitchen for a culinary arts program as an elective class at Glenwood.

“That may be a way to get the kids in the kitchen making things that they could sell to other students,” she said.

jstroud@postindependent.com


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