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Jul
Minnesota lawmakers approved changes to school meal programs that stops what many advocates call “lunch shaming.” And there’s hope more steps will be taken to make free school lunches permanent.
Colleen Moriarty said she’s been working for the last decade to make sure public school students are no longer embarrassed because they can’t afford their lunch bill.
“Ten years ago we heard about snapping rubber bands on kids’ wrists, collection agencies going after families…lunches being dumped in front of kids,” Moriarty said. “Or, you get to enter your code for lunch and they say ‘oh no, I’ll take that lunch from you…you can just have this cheese sandwich …or you can have this cheese sandwich and eat it in the principal’s office.’”
But a new education finance bill passed by state lawmakers changes how schools deal with students with lunch debts.
The move from state lawmakers comes after the Biden administration gave school districts nationwide the greenlight to continue offering free lunches for students until the end of the 2022 school year.
Via: FOX 9. Full Article HERE
Jul
Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried announced her department had secured $93 million from the USDA to help supplement a $262 million hit endured by school districts on lost lunch revenue throughout the pandemic.
The Tuesday, July 6 announcement came after Fried claimed her calls for the Governor to redirect federal COVID relief funds towards the problem went unanswered.
She said the money will help rebuild reserves and ensure the 71 percent of Florida school children receiving free and reduced lunches in the state won’t go hungry.
“So many of our children, this is the only meal that they get a day, is at their schools. So we have to do everything possible to make sure that our children are getting fed and are getting fed nutritional meals,” said Fried.
Fried said the first of the money began flowing to school districts last week and districts opting for paper checks can expect the relief cash in the coming days.
Via: ABC 3
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