School lunch

[Mom2girls1979]

I would like to know everyone's opinion on this matter.

Schools cut free lunch programs - USATODAY.com

By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
ALBUQUERQUE — A cold cheese sandwich, fruit and a milk carton might not seem like much of a meal — but that's what's on the menu for students in New Mexico's largest school district without their lunch money.
Faced with mounting unpaid lunch charges in the economic downturn, Albuquerque Public Schools last month instituted a "cheese sandwich policy," serving the alternative meals to children whose parents fail to pick up their lunch tab.
Such policies have become a necessity for schools seeking to keep budgets in the black while ensuring children don't go hungry. School districts including those in Chula Vista, Calif., Hillsborough County, Fla., and Lynnwood, Wash., have also taken to serving cheese sandwiches to lunch debtors.
Critics argue the cold meals are a form of punishment for children whose parents can't afford to pay.
"We've heard stories from moms coming in saying their child was pulled out of the lunch line and given a cheese sandwich," said Nancy Pope, director of the New Mexico Collaborative to End Hunger. "One woman said her daughter never wants to go back to school."
Some Albuquerque parents have tearfully pleaded with school board members to stop singling out their children because they're poor, while others have flooded talk radio shows thanking the district for imposing a policy that commands parental responsibility.
Second-grader Danessa Vigil said she will never eat sliced cheese again. She had to eat cheese sandwiches because her mother couldn't afford to give her lunch money while her application for free lunch was being processed.
"Every time I eat it, it makes me feel like I want to throw up," the 7-year-old said.
Her mother, Darlene Vigil, said there are days she can't spare lunch money for her two daughters.
"Some parents don't have even $1 sometimes," the 27-year-old single mother said. "If they do, it's for something else, like milk at home. There are some families that just don't have it and that's the reason they're not paying."
The School Nutrition Association recently surveyed nutrition directors from 38 states and found more than half of school districts have seen an increase in the number of students charging meals, while 79% saw an increase in the number of free lunches served over the last year.
In New Mexico, nearly 204,000 low-income students — about three-fifths of public school students — received free or reduced-price lunches at the beginning of the school year, according to the state Public Education Department.
"What you are seeing is families struggling and having a really hard time, and school districts are struggling as well," said Crystal FitzSimons of the national Food Research and Action Center.
In Albuquerque, unpaid lunch charges hovered around $55,000 in 2006. That jumped to $130,000 at the end of the 2007-08 school year. It was $140,000 through the first five months of this school year.
Charges were on pace to reach $300,000 by the end of the year. Mary Swift, director of Albuquerque's food and nutrition services, said her department had no way to absorb that debt as it had in the past.
"We can't use any federal lunch program money to pay what they call bad debt. It has to come out of the general budget and of course that takes it from some other department," Swift said.
With the new policy, the school district has collected just over $50,000 from parents since the beginning of the year. It also identified 2,000 students eligible to receive free or reduced-price lunches, and more children in the lunch program means more federal dollars for the district.
School officials said the policy was under consideration for some time and parents were notified last fall. Families with unpaid charges are reminded with an automated phone call each night and notes are sent home with children once a week.
Swift added that the cheese sandwiches — about 80 of the 46,000 meals the district serves daily — can be considered a "courtesy meal," rather than an alternate meal.
Some districts, she noted, don't allow children without money to eat anything.
Albuquerque Public Schools "has historically gone above and beyond as far as treating children with dignity and respect and trying to do what's best with for the child and I think this is just another example," Swift said.

[Michelle]

And they titled that, 'Schools cut free lunch programs'?! I'm reading that they get a sandwich, milk and fruit. Sounds like a free meal to me.

[Mom2girls1979]

I have mixed feelings on the matter. On one hand the schools need to recoup their money, but it feels like they are punishing the children for their parents. We would have to pay if it wasn't for my DDs only wanting home lunches I give both DDs home lunches, my youngest DD does not like school lunch and oldest DD only likes the school meat lasagna or nachos. If that is not on the menu oldest DD will only eat home lunch.

DH is a high school teacher and I usually send him to work with enough to eat for the entire week. Which includes stuff to make sandwiches, drinks, snacks, leftovers. He has a tiny fridge and microwave in his classroom. But lately on a few occasions he has had a couple of students came and ask him for food and will say they forgot their lunch money. He will usually lets them make a sandwich, so they can at least have something to eat. I know this may sound terrible, but sometimes I wonder if they really forgot or their family just didn't have the money.

[Puffalapeno]

Whenever I can't afford to have my son buy lunch at school, I pack him one. :shrug7:

[Mom2girls1979]

And they titled that, 'Schools cut free lunch programs'?! I'm reading that they get a sandwich, milk and fruit. Sounds like a free meal to me.

The title of the article is all wrong. But that is where the mixed feelings are for me. Some school districts don't give you anything if you owe money, but at least the school district is trying. But I could also see how embarrassing it may be for some children.

[Puffalapeno]

I have mixed feelings on the matter. On one hand the schools need to recoup their money, but it feels like they are punishing the children for their parents. We would have to pay if it wasn't for my DDs only wanting home lunches I give both DDs home lunches, my youngest DD does not like school lunch and oldest DD only likes the school meat lasagna or nachos. If that is not on the menu oldest DD will only eat home lunch.

I'm not sure how it's punishing them. I know in our school district they will allow them to get one regular lunch once their "account" is delinquent. After that it's a cheese sandwich, no fruit and no milk. They get something to eat and there's a water fountain to drink from. Most of the younger kids (at least through 2nd grade) are provided a snack in the classroom by their teacher. At some point parents need to be responsible for either providing the money for their kids to get lunch at school or packing them a lunch. And I know when I was growing up that spending a day hungry because I lost my lunch money taught me very quickly to keep track of it.

[ChrisLeigh]

They are getting a FREE meal: a sandwich, fruit and milk. It might not be what the others are... but it is a FREE meal.

I don't know a lot about the guidelines for free and reduced lunch programs, but they are available for those that are struggling and need some help. (yes, you do have to fill out the forms.) To me, it seemed like this article was saying it was trying to get rid of those that simply aren't paying... to either signup for the free/reduced or start paying for their kids meals... it's not cutting the free and reduced program.

There is help out there for those kids that need a free lunch.. but the paperwork needs to be filled out so the schools know which need help and which simply (for whatever reason) just aren't paying...

[pedspeech]

There is nothing wrong with what the school district is doing. I agree that the parents should be responsible for taking care of their children's needs.

[derketchup]

I see nothing wrong with this at all.

The children are being fed. If they don't like it, they don't have to eat it.

[naless]

I think this is horrible. I agree parents need to be responsible for their children but singling the children out with the "poor lunch" (this is what is was called by the staff and students at the school I worked at) is horrific for the child who has no say in the matter.

The teasing the children received would be beyond embarrassing and downright cruel. I personally gave children money for lunch so that they could avoid the humilation. Children would get in trouble so that they had lunch detention so that they would not have to endure the taunts.

For those that say but they did get some food, lunch time in school is not just eating it is the major time for socialization and to be singled out by the school as poor does not help self esteem and increases behavior problems.

Think about if it was your child, not how you would feel about your child getting the meal but your child suffering the reprecussions.

This is punishing the child for the action or non action of the parent.