Greta Thunberg has been making headlines as a climate change activist. At a recent U.N. speech, she said, “How dare you!” in response to adults finding hope in children, instead of facilitating a world where the opposite is true. Thunberg was referencing the inadequacies of adults protecting the world for future generations, but she might has well have been addressing the inability of Americans to feed hungry children.
In fact, the American school system has been actively and publicly shaming students who can’t afford to pay for lunch for years now. A 9-year-old Ohio boy had his school lunch taken from him on his birthday because he had a $9 balance. In Alabama, an 8-year-old boy had the phrase, “I Need Lunch Money,” stamped on his arm because he had an outstanding balance of $1.38.
A New Hampshire school cafeteria worker was fired for feeding students who couldn’t afford to buy lunch. What’s horrifying about these and other such examples of cruelty against hungry children isn’t that the public shaming of children is happening or is inflicting irreparable psychic damage on them. It’s the fact that school authorities are purposely inflicting shaming tactics as a penalty to deal with hungry children who can’t pay for school lunches.
To understand why this is happening, and how to avoid school lunch debt, we need to examine the depths of the problem. We also need to examine the inefficiencies of the school lunch program, which is supposed to offer free and reduced-price lunches to students in need. It’s a real problem because over 75% of school districts deal with students who have outstanding lunch debt balances.
Child Hunger in America
About 1 out of every 5 American children, about 16 million children, go hungry on a consistent basis every year. Over 62% of teachers are reporting that their students are showing up to classes visibly hungry. Additionally, over 20% of families with children are not able to qualify for food-assistance programs.
Why Are Children Being Denied School Lunches?
It all comes down to budgets. The National School Lunch Program, which was established by President Harry Truman in 1946, offers reduced priced and free lunches to school children in need. NSLPs are federally subsidized. However, state and local NSLPs budgets are routinely cut and decreased at the federal level. Not all students qualify for free lunches and don’t have enough money to pay for full-price and reduced-price lunches.
Some students aren’t properly recognized as qualifying for free lunches, resulting in mix ups. Meanwhile, some financially strapped school districts find themselves with budget shortfalls as high as $18,000 because of unpaid school lunches. So, they deal with the problem by shaming students to get parents to pay lunch bills as low as $1.00 or as high as $60.
Tips to Avoid School Lunch Debt
Schools with large demographics of low-income students are supposed to offer free and reduced priced meals. Never take it for granted that your child could never be denied lunch. There are many free school lunch certification programs, like SNAP and TANF among others, that you can qualify for. Don’t be a stranger at your child’s school.
Make regular visits to ensure that school authorities know your child is entitled to free or reduced-price meals. If you are having problems paying your child’s school lunch debt for full priced or reduced-priced meals, stay in touch with school staff. Some school districts even have apps that keep you apprised of school lunch debt balances.
No child should go hungry. But they do. In plain sight. Worse, school districts with budget shortfalls are openly shaming children to penalize parents. Stay continually engaged with your child’s school administration to ensure that they never experience such shame. Here are more tips to avoid school lunch debt.
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Allen Francis was an academic advisor, librarian, and college adjunct for many years with no money, no financial literacy, and no responsibility when he had money. To him, the phrase “personal finance,” contains the power that anyone has to grow their own wealth. Allen is an advocate of best personal financial practices including focusing on your needs instead of your wants, asking for help when you need it, saving and investing in your own small business.