Yesterday, the story broke that a school district in Albuquerque, NM was instituting a policy to go after parents who fail to pay for their children's school lunches. That policy? Serving students whose parents are delinquent in their payments a cheese sandwich, fruit, and milk.
Albuquerque is not alone in instituting this policy. School districts in Chula Vista, Calif., Hillsborough County, Fla., and Lynnwood, Wash., have also taken to serving cheese sandwiches. According to an article by Susan Montoya Brown of the Associated Press, " Such policies have become a necessity for schools seeking to keep budgets in the black while ensuring children don't go hungry."
According to the article, "critics argue the cold meals are a form of punishment for children whose parents can't afford to pay" and "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." (Click here for a full text of the article)
Besides the shame factor, there are other consequences to consider. First, while it can be argued that feeding these children cheese sandwiches is better than no food at all, are they getting the same nutrition as their peers? Proper nutrition is essential to development; are these children being put at a disadvantage because their parents are poor? Second, for many of these kids, the meals they receive at school are the only hot meals they receive all day. These meals have become extremely important to the parents as a means for feeding their children, when they cannot afford to do so. And third, it is difficult for kids to overcome shame, especially for being singled out due to their economic status. School is hard enough on kids; is it fair for administrators to subject kids to this kind of humiliation just to help balance the budget?
On the other hand, is a cheese sandwich really all that bad? I would most likely eat a grilled cheese sandwich every day if I could. Many children, and adults, eat a sandwich of some sort for lunch, along with a fruit and a drink. How is this lunch different than a standard lunch consumed by most Americans? Also, the kids are still being provided with a meal. The districts are not letting these children go hungry. Is it fair to criticize the policy when the district is still doing what they can to feed the students, at their expense, while still trying to make up for a deficit created by parents' failure to pay?
Is this policy fair or too harsh? Is is fiscally responsible or does it punish children for their parents' mistakes? Given the state of the country's economy, will more districts around the country create similar policies? What do you think?
Comments
Families that can't afford lunch have the option of applying for Free and reduced lunch. Saying that the system is targeting poor students is not correct. An alternate meal is the only way to get parents to take responsiblity for their children. Many parents act like their children's lunch account is not a real bill so they can ignore it. I have had many parents that refuse to pay the bill. An alternate lunch is a small step to try to collect the thousands of unpaid lunch accounts.
The failure to provide a child with adequate food/nutrition is the parents' failure...not the school's. Period. To say "the school denied the child a nutritious meal" is simply wrongly placed responsibility. Public schools should not be expected to pick up the tab, literally and figuratively, for parents who fail to meet their responsibility to provide for their child.
Parents who are too poor to pay for their children's lunches need to apply for free and reduced meals. If you don't qualify for free and reduced meals because you make too much money, then you are not too poor to feed your children. It is the parents responsibility to provide for all of their children's needs, including feeding them. Luckily, the government can step in and help with school mealss when parents truly need the help. Unfortunately, there are a lot of parents who are just financially irresponsible. That is their problem, not the schools. I'm sorry the children have to suffer for it, but hopefully it will help them grow up to be responsible adults.
The school is not punishing these kids thier parents are. Would you critisize the school for allowing a child to be sent to school with a cheese sandwich from home? The school is not required to give the kids food at all, they do it as a service. Kids may bring food from home, or PAY for school lunch. Why should the school be required to provide any meal for free. The fact that they provide a free meal show they have a heart and is a great thing, which should not be criticized. I understand children being embarrased, but the point at which children are helpless (i.e. elementry school) most kids don't understand the "Johnny's" mommy and daddy make less and thats why he has grilled cheese. In fact they are probably just as likely to be jelous that they did not receive grilled cheese as well. After elementary school kids are old enough to make up for a parents lack of caring, by bringing their own food or appling for free/reduced lunch.
You've raised some really interesting questions. I added a link at the bottom of my column to your page. I hope everyone will read your article.
Thank you for the insight.
Families who are "poor" can apply for free and reduced meals. If a family doesn't qualify for these benefits, they do have funds to budget if they want. Purchasing a meal is an option, not a requirement so parents can send food from home. Districts are generous to offer something to the student so he is not hungry. It is the parent's responsibility to ensure that his child is eating. In our school we still offer cheese and crackers to a student after we have already let them charge 3 lunches, sent notes home to the parent, and made a phone call home. At some point the parent should get the message.
Aint nada wrong a a grilled cheese sw.
SCHOOL IS FREE. I dont think it is wrong 4 parents 2 pay 4 their kids lunch.
Somewhere down the road our society has allowed people to become irresponsible with no consequence for their behavior. Parents who don’t pay their child support are called “dead beat dads and moms”. Could not paying your child’s lunch account be the same type of irresponsible behavior? People who skip out on their restaurant bill are arrested for “defrauding an innkeeper” and taken to jail. What if schools took the same action, because in actuality parents are enabling their children to commit the same type of crime? Parents are sending their children to school to eat a lunch with no money to pay for it and some parents have intention of ever paying for it. Would this be allowed at McDonald’s? You could never send your child into a fast food restaurant, have them order food and then leave the building without paying for it. It’s the same with the school cafeterias; we are the food establishment your children are ordering food from, consuming it and then not paying for it. What kind of message are parents sending to our future leaders? Wake up parents and show some responsibility for the lives you have created and teach them that there is nothing free in this life and you have got to pay your own way. Life is hard and you as parents are not teaching the lessons that our children need to succeed in this world. Think about it, would your parents be proud of your behavior? I think not!
You might want to update your story - go to the Seattle-Garden--Kitchen-Examiner and read their story "Hot school lunches given back to students who cant pay
It seems one district you mentioned has stopped the policy
Thank you all for your comments, insights, and opinions. It was especially interesting to see the perspective of educators. This is a debate that will probably rage on for quite a while.
Does the direct take a lot for the cheese meal or does the Federal gov. still reimburse them something for serving this free meal?
Complaining about a free meal exemplifies what is so terribly wrong w/ the sense of entitlement that most Americans have today. Since when did the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness morph into the right to a free lunch of your choosing? Growing up in the late 70s and early 80s when times were just as bad as they are now, I ate cold PBJ every day for lunch for years b/c that’s what my single mom could afford. She had to work 3 jobs just to provide that PBJ, which she did gladly b/c she had too much pride to go to the feds w/ her hands out even though she definitely would have qualified for government assistance even w/ the 3 jobs. Somehow, I survived years of cold PBJs just fine, and I’m better off for it b/c I know it’s possible for just about anybody to make it in life if they stop complaining and just try. Moreover, growing up this way taught me how to be fiscally responsible, which is something that most Americans and especially our politicians could stand to learn. For the most part, I disagree w/ the concept of any type of free meal b/c it’s a parent’s responsibility to feed their children not the school’s responsibility via the tax dollars of hard working citizens like my mom. If she could work 3 jobs, then so can most other people. If you can’t afford to feed children, then you shouldn’t have them. The fact that people are complaining about a free lunch that is fairly nutritionally sound (carbs, protein, and fat . . . what more could you need?) is even more infuriating.
If children in the 3rd world were given a cheese sandwich, a piece of fruit, and milk, they would be so happy they would hug you. Why do Americans have such a sense of entitlement? If parents can't afford to feed their children, they shouldn't have children. It is the parents' responsibility to feed their children, not the school's. To tell you the truth, I very frequently eat a cheese sandwich for lunch by choice because I love it. I bet the hot lunch that the school offers has much more saturated fat, salt, and other bad stuff than the cheese sandwich. The family shown on TV from New Mexico who discussed the cheese sandwich controversy looked very well dressed...I can't believe the the mom can't afford to make her child a sandwich to take to school. If the mom made a cheese sandwich and the child brought that to school would there be such a bru ha ha about this whole thing? What people object to is the way that the whole thing was handled in that the child was pulled out of the hot lunch line and given a bag and told thay we are giving you this cold lunch because your parents have not paid and this is your punishment. If they were told that you will be having a delicious cheese sandwich with some yummy fruit and ice cold milk, the children would rejoice. It's all in the presentation, as is most of life!!
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