Illustration of students eating at a lunch table with an arrow sign that reads, "You"

Illustration by Jason Ford; Debate photos courtesy of families

HEADERCREDITS; Debate photos courtesy of familes

Should Schools Assign Seats at Lunch? 

For many kids, lunch is a time to relax with friends. But for others, it can be a time of stress because they don’t feel welcome or they are bullied.

A school in Wisconsin has a solution. It assigns students to tables at lunch. School officials believe that helps stop bullying. But some students think they should be free to sit anywhere they want. They say the cafeteria is often the only place in school where kids can hang out and catch up with friends.

Here’s what two of our readers think.

Kids should have assigned seats. I’ve seen people save seats and tell other kids, “Someone is sitting here.” That can be mean. The other kids have to keep looking for seats, which can be embarrassing.

Plus, there are groups of kids who get in trouble all the time. Some make fun of other kids. Lunch would be much better for everyone if they were split up.

I love talking with my friends at lunch. If seats were assigned, I might not get to do that. 

And lunch is a great time to meet other kids too! I think it’s easier to make a friend when you can invite someone new to join your table of friends. Everyone can get to know the new person at the same time. That wouldn’t happen if we had assigned seats. 

What does your class think?

Should schools assign seats at lunch? 

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Should schools assign seats at lunch? 

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Should schools assign seats at lunch? 

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