What accounts for the length of time for the lunch periods?
State law requires schools to provide a certain number of instructional hours per school day. Because of this, we are limited on how we can adjust the length of lunches.

Elementary Lunch Periods
Each elementary school provides 20 minutes for students to eat lunch. Some grades have recess before lunch and some have recess after lunch. All students are allowed to finish lunch and space is made for them before going to recess or class.

Eagle Creek
At Eagle Creek, students have 20 minutes to eat lunch. Anyone that wants to stay in and keep eating is allowed to. Recess after that is also 20 minutes long, so if a student stays in to eat, they still have a lot of time for recess. The lunch line goes quickly and students are often more than ready to go outside after 15 minutes.

Kent Prairie
Kindergartners and first graders have 20 minutes and if they need more time, they are provided more time to finish. Second through fifth grade students have recess before lunch and have 20 minutes to eat. If they need to stay to finish their meal, space is provided for them to do that.

Pioneer
Pioneer has 20 minutes for each lunch with some time between K-2 and 3-5 lunches so the grades don't overlap. Students have recess first and then come in to eat. When students need extra time to eat, they are allowed to continue eating.

Presidents
At Presidents, students have 20 minutes to eat lunch. Any student that wants to stay in and keep eating is allowed to. Recess after that is also 20 minutes long. If a student stays in to eat, they still have a lot of time for recess. The lunch line goes quickly, and students are often more than ready to go outside after 15 minutes.

Middle and High School Lunch Periods
Middle and high schools provide 30 minutes for students to eat lunch.

Haller Middle School
At Haller, all three grades have a 30-minute lunch period. After approximately 10-15 minutes (depending on the group and where they are at with finishing), they ask for quiet for announcements and then students are excused to go outside or to be in the commons/hallway to socialize. Students are expected to sit during lunch, but they are allowed to go to the vending machines/restrooms during this time.

Post Middle School
Post has three lunches, one per grade level that are 30 minutes in length. It takes about 10 minutes on average to clear the lunch lines and there are multiple lines to serve and move students through. Students have 30 minutes in the cafeteria to get lunch and eat. Students are allowed to go outside by choice at the 15-minute mark, but they are asked to clear their trays and clean up their areas. Some students stay the whole 30 minutes at the lunch table eating by choice.

Arlington High School
At Arlington High School, students are allowed 30 minutes for lunch. There is a five-minute passing period at the beginning and end of each lunch.

Weston High School
Weston High School has one lunch period where students eat lunch for 30 minutes.

Stillaguamish Valley Learning Center
SVLC has three lunches (K-1, 2-5, 6-8) and students have 20 minutes to eat. Students have the option to stay in the lunchroom to finish their lunches or play outside.