While most Columbus School middle and high school students are polite and respectful, a number of students have been rude and disrespectful to the workers in the upper campus cafeteria.  

Staff in the cafeteria work quickly during lunch and window time for the many students who come to buy their food, but there is limited time for them to be served. However, while most students are polite and treat the cafeteria workers with respect, there are students who disrespect the workers by hurrying them, rolling their eyes, swearing and making the workers wait. 

“I don’t think that all the students are inconsiderate towards the workers, but I have witnessed a lot being rude to them for unimportant things,” 11th grader Maria Antonia Angel said.

The cafeteria staff has a very short time to serve all students, and many students often arrive at the front of the line without knowing what they want to purchase. This causes the staff to hurry the students into making a choice, which in turn causes the students to respond rudely by rolling their eyes, sighing or even making inappropriate comments to the cafeteria staff. 

“There have been a lot of incidents where students have been rude to the cafeteria workers,” cafeteria worker Maryorisol Arenas said.

During window and lunch, middle and high school students typically wait in line only 3 to 5 minutes for food. Yet despite the relatively short wait time, it is not uncommon to see students being impolite by rolling their eyes or hurrying the cafeteria ladies when they take longer than expected to provide them with the purchased food. 

“Not all the students are impolite, but there are always some who are bad mannered and who treat us impolitely,” Sara Suarez, a cafeteria worker, said.

According to the cafeteria workers, some students have made profane comments in front of them while they are being served. For example, students have sworn and used body language like the middle finger. The cafeteria staff believes that even though these cases are the exception, such behavior is extremely impolite and clearly disrespectful.

“The stuff that the students talk about in front of us is very vulgar and rude, many of the things they say would not even be said by an adult,” Suarez said.

School officials do not approve of this behavior, which contradicts the school’s Character Counts values and the Manual de Convivencia, both of which are based on mutual respect. However, the institution insists only small portion of students are rude with the workers. Those who do are penalized for their behavior.

“My perception is that not a lot of students are impolite, however, those who are really stand out. We monitor during lunch and window in the cafeteria so that these situations do not occur,” Vice-Principal Vicky Jaramillo said.