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Food delivery tables have become a familiar sight at some D.C.-area high schools, but the convenience is drawing renewed scrutiny over campus security.
At Blake High School in Montgomery County, staff began managing a table where delivery drivers could leave students’ orders. The arrangement emerged after an earlier ban prompted students to meet drivers at the bottom of a nearby hill instead.
That changed following a shooting in the school parking lot in late April. As part of several new security measures, Blake announced that food deliveries would again be prohibited on campus.
Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland’s largest school district, has no systemwide rule governing student food deliveries. Individual campuses set their own practices, an approach also found across much of the region.
District spokesman Chris Cram said the issue appears to warrant attention as a safety concern, similar to the action taken at Blake.
Parents are divided. Some question whether delivery drivers should be entering school buildings, while others view ordering food as a practical alternative to school meals, packed lunches or leaving campus.
Lisa Castillo, whose children attend Damascus High School, said students sometimes combine orders with friends to reduce delivery charges. Her children order food two or three times a week.
At Damascus, juniors and seniors have open lunch and may leave campus. Castillo said that option primarily benefits students who drive, and she would rather have her children remain at school while food is delivered.
Drivers seeking access to the office are admitted and leave orders on a communal table, Castillo said. Students generally choose from nearby restaurants such as Chick-fil-A, Burger King, Starbucks, Hornet’s Nest and Ledo Pizza.
Dawn Iannaco-Hahn, whose children attended Blake, took a different approach. Her children could use money she placed in their school lunch accounts or prepare food at home. If they wanted delivery, they paid for it themselves.
Policies elsewhere are similarly inconsistent. Fairfax County Public Schools prohibits students from receiving food from delivery drivers.
Prince William County Public Schools has no formal restriction, but schools generally prohibit third-party deliveries to students during the school day. Parents who want to bring food are encouraged to contact the school beforehand.
Loudoun County also lacks a districtwide ban. Some of its high schools provide a table inside the entrance for deliveries intended for students and staff.
The varying rules leave schools balancing student convenience against concerns about building access and the volume of unfamiliar drivers arriving during the day.