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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 5 July 2017

American Living:
School districts rethink meal debt policies that shame kids

By MORGAN LEE lunch money,’ send an of four earns less than reached Capitol Hill, as Spurred by Appleseed
Associated Press email or a text message about $32,000 a year or at child advocacy groups and others, New Mexico in
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) to the parent,” said Tina a discount if earnings are question whether schools April passed its anti-meal-
— Teaching assistant Namian, who oversees the under $45,000. should be allowed to single shaming law, which directs
Kelvin Holt watched as a schools to work directly
preschool student fell to with parents to address
the back of a cafeteria line payments and requires
during breakfast in Killeen, that children get a healthy,
Texas, as if trying to hide. balanced meal regardless
“The cash register woman of whether debts are paid
says to this 4-year-old on time.
girl, verbatim, ‘You have Elsewhere, the California
no money,’” said Holt, Senate in May unanimously
describing the incident last approved a bill that
year. A milk carton was prevents schools from
taken away, and the girl’s denying lunch if a parent or
food was dumped in the guardian has not paid.
trash. “She did not protest, Thresa Thomas, a Los
other than to walk away in Angeles Unified School
tears.” District food service worker
Holt has joined a chorus of for students with severe
outrage against lunchroom physical and learning
practices that can disabilities, grinds up
humiliate children as public complementary cheese
school districts across the sandwiches in a food
United States rethink how processor to serve through
they cope with unpaid feeding tubes to students
student lunch debts. who don’t bring lunch and
The U.S. Agriculture Third grader Elliana Vigil punches in his student identification meal to pay for a meal at Gonzales whose parents have not
Department is requiring Community School in Santa Fe, N.M. All students are offered the same lunch at Gonzales and paid.
districts to adopt policies other Santa Fe public schools to avoid any chance of embarrassing students whose parents “They’re not able to
this month for addressing may have fallen behind on meal payments. New Mexico in April became the first state to complain too much,” she
outlaw the shaming of children for any unpaid meals.
meal debts and to inform (AP Photo/Morgan Lee) said. “We should give them
parents at the start of the all the same food, and we
academic year. federal agency’s school It’s households with slightly out, in any way, a child should collect the money
The agency is not meals policy branch. higher incomes that are whose family has not paid as much as possible.”
specifically barring most of Meanwhile, some states more likely to struggle, for meals. Texas recently adopted a
the embarrassing tactics, are taking matters into experts on poverty and “There’s no limit to the bad temporary grace period
such as serving cheap their own hands, with New nutrition say. behavior a school can for students to keep eating
sandwiches in place of hot Mexico this year becoming Children often bear the have. They just have to put cafeteria food while debt
meals or sending students the first to outlaw school brunt of unpaid meal it in writing,” said Jennifer payments are negotiated
home with conspicuous meal shaming and several accounts. A 2014 federal Ramo, executive director with parents.
debt reminders, such others weighing similar report found 39 percent of of New Mexico Appleseed, At the federal level,
as hand stamps. But it laws. districts nationwide hand an advocacy group on language has been
is encouraging schools Free and reduced-price out cheap alternative poverty issues. “We live proposed for next year’s
to work more closely meals funded by the meals with no nutritional in a credit society. I think House appropriations bill
with parents to address Agriculture Department’s requirements and up to schools should handle debt that would set minimum
delinquent accounts and National School Lunch 6 percent refuse to serve like everybody else does: standards to protect
ensure children don’t go Program shield the nation’s students with no money. You don’t take away food children from public
hungry. poorest children from so- The debate over debts and from children. You feed embarrassment and leave
“Rather than a hand stamp called lunch shaming. Kids child nutrition has spilled them and you settle the bill them out of payment
on a kid to say, ‘I need can eat for free if a family into state legislatures and later.” discussions.q