Every day, students find themselves hungry during a lecture or work time and come up with the perfect solution: a vending machine snack. A reliable source of food, the LASA vending machines are available throughout the day. However, while the specific date is still unclear, the LASA administration has stated that vending machine access will be restricted in the future. The new policy aims to address disruptions during class time by preventing students from sneaking their phones out of the classroom to buy from the vending machine.
A part of the reason vending machines are greatly used is that students rely on them for food when they do not have time to pack lunch in the morning or do not want to wait in the lunch line. Although students can still access the vending machines during lunch, the restrictions will affect many students’ routines. LASA freshman Carlos Villalobos explained that his use of the vending machines would be hindered drastically if the machines were closed during class.
“I always get [snacks] during my classes,” Villalobos said. “Most times I don’t get lunch if I don’t have time or something, and I just get my snacks.”
LASA freshman Marcelo Weimer explained that many rely on food from the vending machines to fuel their bodies and remain energized. As a result, the time restrictions on the vending machines can impact students’ energy levels throughout the day.
“I think that if you’re hungry you’re not gonna be able to focus as well,” Weimer said. “So, limiting the food you are able to access as you’re trying to focus can really impair your ability to focus. I think it’s a negative, bad thing to do.”
According to Assistant Principal and Campus Behavior Coordinator Neno December, the school administration has noticed students abusing their privilege of visiting the vending machine during class. December described how this tendency is the main reason in enforcing the restriction.
“The decision to limit the availability of the vending machines comes after noticing a pattern of students leaving class under the pretense of going to the bathroom but heading to the vending machines instead,” December said. “This diversion leads to a loss in instructional time, and we’ve seen that it correlates with academic performance.”
December explained that LASA has a strict phone policy, detailing that phones cannot be used during class without permission from the teacher. This becomes problematic as many students who frequent the vending machines during class often use ApplePay to buy food.
“Another issue we’ve encountered is students sneaking their phones out of class to use them for purchasing, which leads to further distractions and misuse of phones during school hours,” December said.
According to Weimer, many students want the administration to reconsider this policy. The administration welcomes students to voice their concerns about the new policy, however, according to December, the vending machines will still be open before and after school, and the purpose of the policy is to ensure that instructional time is maximized.
“We recognize that circumstances may change, and should new data or feedback suggest a different approach, we are open to reassessing the situation,” December said. “Our goal is to ensure that our policies best support student success and minimize disruptions to the learning environment.”
