LAKE WORTH, Fla. — Lake Worth High School’s decision to have one school lunch period is raising red flags, with students and teachers questioning safety and overcrowding.
“It’s like pretty bad. It’s very packed and it’s very crowded,” said Johan Castellon Turcios, a senior. Turcios was one of several students describing the “packed” lunchroom.
WATCH BELOW: WPTV's Ange Toussaint sits down with special education teacher Lorraine Olson
Special education teacher Lorraine Olson believes the single lunch period is to blame for what she feels is an increase in fights at the school, including the Sept. 18 brawl that led to pepper spray being used by a school resource officer. More than 30 people went to the hospital, most for irritation.
“I saw it coming and nobody listened to me,” Olson said.
In five separate emails sent to the school’s principal days before the fight, Olson warned school and district officials of possible dangers ahead.
“I said that there is going to be something catastrophic that is going to happen if we did not stop having only one lunch,” she wrote.
In a Sept. 13 email, Olson told school Principal Elena Villani, “There have been multiple fights. Staff is left outside burning in the sun. Students are burning the sun,” the email said.
“They deserve to be taught graciousness, pride, and civility. This is not being done,” Olson added.
The Palm Beach County School District acknowledged in a statement that there is only one lunch period for all 2,517 Lake Worth High School students.
The district said a school resource officer is always on campus at district schools, with multiple officers assigned to high schools.
But Olson feels that’s not enough. She said she has been on leave since the incident because she was traumatized.
“I can’t imagine how someone can agree to have 2,400 students at lunch with two resource officers, four other behavioral specialists—all wonderful, all do a great job—how they could? The administration, the principal leading us, could put us in that position…” Olson said.
Olson is calling for greater security on campus and a change to the current policy.
