This year the district has been exploring options to improve the elementary lunch period, including ongoing work with our parents on this topic.

Our elementary schools have grown in size, and we are finding that lunch lines have gotten longer, resulting in some students having less time to eat.

Informal discussions on this topic among staff evolved into a collaborative team, the Elementary Lunch Study Team, which is made up of staff and community members. Monthly meetings of the team began in January with a focus on creating short and long term solutions so our students have enough time to eat their lunch, while providing an environment that is positive and enjoyable.

The results of the Study Team’s work thus far are that the school day for elementary schools will be extended by five minutes for the 2017-18 school year, resulting in 25-minute lunch periods. Additionally, the district is researching and testing methods to improve lunch line efficiency.  While a 5-minute change may seem simple, it requires taking various factors into consideration including adjusting the length of the school day to meet instructional time requirements, modifying bus schedules and working with building staff to extend their work day.

Learn more about the Lunch Study Team’s ongoing work by visiting the Nutrition Services page.

The Bellevue School District acknowledges that we learn, work, live and gather on the Indigenous Land of the Coast Salish peoples, specifically the Duwamish and Snoqualmie Tribes. We thank these caretakers of this land, who have lived and continue to live here, since time immemorial.