Starting with the class of 2020, senior students have been allowed to apply for the privilege of being allowed to arrive late or leave early. This year, the class of ‘22 seniors have been given a new privilege by the administration: the” Senior Cafe,”  a set of eleven senior-only tables outside the cafeteria and near the nurses office. 

“I was trying to reward the seniors for good behavior, and want underclassmen to look forward to [being seniors],” principal Mrs. Beth Guarriello said.

Originally, the new senior privileges also included Food Truck Fridays; however, the food truck had to be discontinued because the school is not allowed to serve food that doesn’t follow federal nutrition guidelines, according to Mrs. Guarriello, who also cited potential district liability issues.

Despite this setback, the seniors seem to appreciate the new privilege, and the response to the implementation of the senior cafe has been positive, particularly among the Class of ‘22 leadership .

“I’m definitely grateful for the [senior] cafe since the cafeteria was getting a bit crowded,” senior class treasurer Andrea Keiper said

However, the senior cafe is a privilege, and does not come without restrictions and responsibilities. Seating at each table is limited to six people due to COVID restrictions. Furthermore, said assistant principal Mr. Chad Kinslow, if a mess is discovered, the senior cafe will be shut down.

Given the loss of Food Truck Friday, some seniors are interested in adding new senior privileges.

“Something I think would be cool would be to have lower computer restrictions [for seniors], ” senior class vice president Bryson Davis said.

While this proposed privilege might be appealing to some seniors, this would not be possible at Southern Lehigh, or any school for that matter, due to federal regulations. 

“We can’t do that because of CIPA (Children’s Internet Protection Act),” Mrs. Guarriello said, “we have to make sure we are CIPA compliant.”

 CIPA states that schools must place restrictions on what students can and cannot see on the internet. The law also states that schools must monitor the internet activity of students. This is the reason school-issued computers have so many filters and restrictions.

Given the loss of Food Truck Fridays, Mrs. Guarriello told the Spotlight staff that she is now open to considering new ideas for senior privileges.