I decided to pay off a school’s lunch debt
huffpost.com
I decided to pay off a school’s lunch debt
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Re: I decided to pay off a school’s lunch debt
#2NB: Title from HTML source due to clickbait. The story stands on its own without such tactics.
Re: I decided to pay off a school’s lunch debt
#3“ families who qualify but don’t complete the paperwork for various reasons, ranging from language barriers to pride to bureaucratic overwhelm.”
Fear of legal action against them.
Giving all kids a hot meal is a no brainer eat win for society. We gave it to them, then took it back.
Re: I decided to pay off a school’s lunch debt
#4Is the overhead in deciding who gets free lunch and who doesn't and then managing the debt really saving more money than just giving all public school kids free lunches with no strings attached?
Re: I decided to pay off a school’s lunch debt
#5It's astonishing this is a thing. I'm thankful to live in Massachusetts where all kids can get lunch for free with no questions asked. Where I live, kids can get breakfast too, however I've heard that isn't universal in the state.
The article points out another issue that is so widespread. Often times, being right above or below a cut off line can make a huge difference and it's kids just above the cut off line here that are suffering. I have a brother with disabilities and there are "lines" drawn all the time with funding that are either all or nothing. If you cross a line, you lose funding. It encourages them to work less, save less money, and be more reliant on state funding. Why haven't we figured out gradients yet? For example, above this line you get 90% of costs covered. Above this line 80%. Above this line 70%. etc... etc... etc...
Re: I decided to pay off a school’s lunch debt
#6Do different kids get different meals in US schools? I mean for non-medical or dietary purposes? The article doesn't seem to be very clear on that... Is it that when the school's debt gets to a certain point, all kids' meals are replaced by "alternative meals"? Or do some kids' meals only get switched? If so what is the deciding criterion?
Re: I decided to pay off a school’s lunch debt
#7It's astonishing this is a thing. I'm thankful to live in Massachusetts where all kids can get lunch for free with no questions asked. Where I live, kids can get breakfast too, however I've heard that isn't universal in the state. The article points out another issue that is so widespread. Often times, being right above or below a cut off line can make a huge difference and it's kids just above the cut off line here…
During COVID, school lunch was free, and most school served free bag lunches over the summer too. That ended in June 2022. Congress could've kept it going for a pittance, but alas...
Re: I decided to pay off a school’s lunch debt
#8Is the overhead in deciding who gets free lunch and who doesn't and then managing the debt really saving more money than just giving all public school kids free lunches with no strings attached?
Incentivized because it’s privatized
Re: I decided to pay off a school’s lunch debt
#9This is the most poignant article I remember reading in recent years. Wow. Thank you for sharing.
Re: I decided to pay off a school’s lunch debt
#10Do different kids get different meals in US schools? I mean for non-medical or dietary purposes? The article doesn't seem to be very clear on that... Is it that when the school's debt gets to a certain point, all kids' meals are replaced by "alternative meals"? Or do some kids' meals only get switched? If so what is the deciding criterion?
I can remember at least in High School that usually happens. None of it is healthy or good but you are allowed choice.