Starting Feb. 6, Lowell is requiring students to use a PIN number when getting breakfast and lunch from the cafeteria.

SFUSD Student Nutrition Services sent an email on Friday, Feb. 3, announcing the implementation of Meal PINs, but did not provide a reason for this. “Dining Staff will ask you to enter a Meal PIN on an electronic pin pad at the end of the food service line.” Some students, including junior Sofia Bruno, believe that the reason behind implementing this new system is due to students going through the lunch line several times to get seconds. “I’m guessing that they put that there because people were taking too many lunches,” Bruno said. 

Some students experienced slow, long lines, as a result of this addition. Freshman Kessai Lake noticed that the line was longer and moving slower than it usually does. According to Bruno, she waited in line for more than 20 minutes to get lunch today. “With the PIN, it’s so slow and it’s just so stupid. It prevents us from getting more food and we’re starving,” Bruno said. “It makes no sense.” 

The lunch PIN made some students hesitant about continuing to get school lunch. “I’m going to start bringing my own lunch. I’m going to start probably bringing sandwiches and stuff,” she said. “I didn’t do that before because it was inconvenient, but now it’s like I’m forced to.” Bruno also believes that this change to the school lunch system especially affects low income students who rely on school lunch for a nutritious meal every day. 

With the problems arising from the new system, some students are already searching for solutions. “They need to have an assistant for the line because it goes really slow,” Lake said.