When people hear the word lunch detention, they immediately think of the horrifying lunch detentions portrayed in teen shows, ones where you’re not allowed to move, it’s dead silent, you hear the clock tick and flies buzzing past you, with teachers watching your every move.
Although these depictions are fictional, their causes aren’t. Many students’ failure to be in class on time has led to a huge implementation for many schools: lunch detention.
To help combat this, Stoughton High School has created a policy for the many tardies in the 2023-24 school year. If a student has several tardies, they will have to eat lunch in the multi-purpose room (MPR) for the period.
If a student gets three unexcused tardies in their classes, they will receive an email from the office staff informing them that they must attend a lunch detention. Students who miss their lunch detention are able to make it up on another day. Lunch detentions are usually on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the school week.
Lukas Hartberg, a junior at SHS, has had four lunch detentions due to his recent tardiness. According to Hartberg, SHS has created a lunch detention system opposite to what you may see in movies and shows.
“There is usually calming music playing, and you can sit on the benches and be on your phone,” Hartberg said. “Lunch detention has changed into a calming lunch, it’s not really a detention anymore.”
In lunch detention, you can also do school work, go on your phone, and do whatever a student pleases as long as it isn’t disruptive. Students just aren’t allowed to talk or sit near any friends.
Lunch detention was set to make students get to class sooner and improve attendance. However, some students don’t find this method effective, according to Hartberg.
“To be honest, I haven’t changed my pace to class,” Hartberg said. “Lunch detention doesn’t bother me. I’d just rather be with my friends.”
When students who have never had to sit in on lunch detention walk past the MPR, many think it looks dull and dreadful.
“They depict lunch detention as the end of the world,” said Hartberg.
So what’s lunch detention really about?
To experience this first-hand, I, Madison Kenrick, had the opportunity to sit in on a lunch detention on April 9, 2024. I talked to Mr. Kruse beforehand to ensure I could attend and know what to expect when going in.
Mr. Kruse mentioned people come in even if they don’t have lunch detention, with many seeking a calm place to eat lunch, and that’s what the detention has provided students with. He even told me I could be expecting tea to drink.
I didn’t know what to expect of the atmosphere when walking into the MPR; I was nervous because of the types of lunch detentions I’d heard from friends from different schools and what I had watched on television.
I was the first one there, but the room quickly filled with people. Students sat alone on benches. Many walked in with friends, laughing up the whole room, but they were shut down very quickly.
I was saddened to hear that there was no tea or hot chocolate because there would be many people attending the detention that day, or at least there were supposed to be.
Everyone sat on their phone and stayed to themselves; I felt out of place. It didn’t feel right to sit and do something the school was constantly against, especially when people were supposed to be punished for their behavior against policy.
While opening my sandwich bag, I was shocked to hear the Harry Potter theme song start playing in the background; it added to the atmosphere.
I was surprised by the feeling that I was the only one eating around me. It was such a quiet and awkward environment that I didn’t know if it was even appropriate to open my Tupperware.
Part of lunch detention’s punishment aspect intends to stop students from getting fast food or leaving for their desired lunch, So I was surprised when Mr. Kruse was so open to someone ordering DoorDash.
Although I expected it to drag on, the period went by quickly, like every lunch I had at school.
Walking out of the MPR, I wondered if that was an actual lunch detention experience and what students had been taught through the so-called ‘lunch detention’ experience.