Once the clock hits 3:30 p.m., students such as junior Emme Thomas still have to wait around for their ride to come pick them up, some usually waiting for one or two hours. Despite the number of students who usually stay back for a while, the campus is lacking any sort of vendor that can provide after-school snacks.

“For people who stay after school [snack vending machines] would probably be very helpful,” Thomas said. “There’s a lot of people who end up staying longer here than expected.”

Due to new health standards set by the Florida Legislature, the district is responsible for which food products are sold on campus, as well as when other food items will be available for purchase in order to avoid competition with the cafeteria.

“There is a state statute called the competitive foods bid. It basically means [that] our cafeterias in the school district are self-funded. They don’t make a whole lot of money because they have to keep meal prices down by federal law,” Principal Rick Fleming said. “So they can’t have foods competing against the cafeteria during the school day.”

Both administrators and teachers say snack vending machines could be effective as long as regulations are followed.

“I don’t see a problem with it,” math teacher Jill Whitacre said. “I would say turn them on after school or before school just because I really would like to see people eat the free breakfast that the federal government is paying for because I think that’s being wasted.”

Although many schools in the district have had snack vending machines for years, the idea of having one on campus has never been brought up.

“Nobody has ever approached me about having a snack machine on campus,” Fleming said. “ I would love to see a couple snack machines on campus to sell candy bars or chips so someone can grab a quick snack after school before practice or something. If the sales from that product in the vending machines go to the cafeteria, I think that would be great.”