Lunch is free for all students

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foxnews.com/politics/2013/10/18/yep-lunch-is-free-for-all-students-in-some-florida-schools/
Want a free lunch? Take a seat at your local school cafeteria.
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A new federal program is giving Florida’s public schools a way out of verifying whether students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.
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The solution: expand subsidized meals to include all students whether they can afford to pay or not.
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I’m no socialist, but I like the idea of just including lunch for all students in the cost of education. I doubt if it’s a large percentage of the overall cost of education, it reduces paperwork, and it treats everyone the same.
 
or have a swipe card system and parents who can afford the money load it onto the swipe card and those who can’t afford it, the vouchers get loaded onto the swipe card and so thus everyone is seemingly paying and allowing those who can afford it to contribute without any embarrassment to those who cant. The Student then presents the swipe card that they carry with them always anyway… 👍
 
It is just one short step from offering a “free” lunch to everyone.

To mandating that everyone eat the “free” lunch.

Thanks, but no thanks.
 
maryjk said:
It is just one short step from offering a “free” lunch to everyone.

To mandating that everyone eat the “free” lunch.

Thanks, but no thanks.
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I would agree, all this does is just widen the sense of entitlement in kids that will last with them a lifetime.
liturgyluver said:
Hopefully too it could provide a balanced and sensible diet to pupils and help reduce obesity rates which are embarrassingly high.
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That’s what happens when schools tell kids they can’t play innocent childhood games like dodge ball or tag at recess out of fear that someone may possibly get hurt.
 
maryjk said:
It is just one short step from offering a “free” lunch to everyone.

To mandating that everyone eat the “free” lunch.

Thanks, but no thanks.
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This.

While I like the idea of including lunch, I recently learned of a school (subsidized pre-school) that prohibited parents from sending lunch to school with their kids without a doctors note. :mad:

This did not go over too well with the parents, as you might imagine.
 
Corki said:
This.

While I like the idea of including lunch, I recently learned of a school (subsidized pre-school) that prohibited parents from sending lunch to school with their kids without a doctors note. :mad:

This did not go over too well with the parents, as you might imagine.
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They entertained that idea in our school district and the parents t fought it. The educators claimed kids were bringing lunches full of junk food alone. It was defeated and parents are free to send lunch with their children to school.

Mary.
 
MaryT777 said:
They entertained that idea in our school district and the parents t fought it. The educators claimed kids were bringing lunches full of junk food alone. It was defeated and parents are free to send lunch with their children to school.

Mary.
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The funny thing is I heard about this from a woman at Church who is raising her kids on an all organic diet. She (and her friends) were mad because the school wanted to give their kids “junk” instead of the healthy lunches she had been packing. But again, the parents won - or at least the “exceptions” were broader beyond medical necessity.
 
englishredrose said:
or have a swipe card system and parents who can afford the money load it onto the swipe card and those who can’t afford it, the vouchers get loaded onto the swipe card and so thus everyone is seemingly paying and allowing those who can afford it to contribute without any embarrassment to those who cant. The Student then presents the swipe card that they carry with them always anyway… 👍
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I can agree with this too.

As one of 5 children, I was often eligable for free or reduced lunch. In elementary school, it wasn’t an issue because everyone had a lunch ticket. But in middle school, lunch tickets were optional, so they only kids who had them were receive free or reduced lunch. I was embarssed and so was my mother. So she gave me money every day. We missed out on the program because we were too proud (and embarssed).
 
Wouldn’t this expose schools to legal risk?

Me, I’m in favor of free state university education.
 
maryjk said:
It is just one short step from offering a “free” lunch to everyone.

To mandating that everyone eat the “free” lunch.

Thanks, but no thanks.
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they already do this at some schools. A school my kid was at 2 years ago, made everyone go through the line at breakfast time whether they were receiving free lunch or not… whether they had eaten already or not.

The food wasn’t very good, so she either threw it away or gave it away. Sometimes she would eat it meaning she had breakfast twice. It causes a lot of waste, or it causes over eating. Either way, the school got what they wanted and that is to fill a quota so they can get the money from the government.

That said, I wish schools were more self sustainable with their meals. But not all schools have the space or experience needed for gardening.
 
Reverie said:
they already do this at some schools. A school my kid was at 2 years ago, made everyone go through the line at breakfast time whether they were receiving free lunch or not… whether they had eaten already or not.
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As a parent, I would have fought this. There is no way my child would need to eat twice for breakfast.
 
maryjk said:
As a parent, I would have fought this. There is no way my child would need to eat twice for breakfast.
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Well, it was middle school, I think she would have been mortified if I put up a fuss about it… and they didn’t make her eat the food, they just made her take the food. It didn’t cost us anything. We used the card system where we put money in their account so they can buy lunch in our county.

I thought it was real dumb of them to make them take food they didn’t want though. What a waste.

My friend’s daughter is going to a school now where there is free breakfast and lunch available to everyone in the school regardless of income. They don’t have to eat it if they don’t want to. It is a huge help to families in my neighborhood. There is truly a need for this type of thing. Children shouldn’t go hungry because their parents don’t have jobs or they make poor choices.

edited to clarify: it didn’t cost us anything in addition to taxes.
 
All schools should be required to keep a few hogs to eat all the wasted food. The school could then have pig roast at Football games and sell it at the concessions stand. They could sell piglets for profit and help pay for everyone’s education:thumbsup:

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maryjk said:
It is just one short step from offering a “free” lunch to everyone.

To mandating that everyone eat the “free” lunch.

Thanks, but no thanks.
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And let’s not forget the “free breakfasts”!!
 
One thing I would worry about is the quality. I really think that schools should take seriously the need to improve the health of children, through exercise and healthier meals!
 
Country_Gal said:
All schools should be required to keep a few hogs to eat all the wasted food. The school could then have pig roast at Football games and sell it at the concessions stand. They could sell piglets for profit and help pay for everyone’s education:thumbsup:

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Now THAT IS innovative thinking. 👍
Mary.
 
Country_Gal said:
One thing I would worry about is the quality. I really think that schools should take seriously the need to improve the health of children, through exercise and healthier meals!
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With the new regulations on nutrition, it’s not the quality (calorie/content) wise that needs to be addressed - but rather the taste and presentation. As the nutrition has improved, the taste has gone way down at our local school, to the point where many children throw away over half of each meal because they dislike it. These are children, btw, who did not object to these same foods a year ago before the ingredient changes. I know it is perfectly possible to make things tasty and nutritious - but our food provider apparently hasn’t figured out how yet. 😦

I think I’d prefer it for all students to get free lunch rather than having some people pay nothing, some people pay .55, and some people pay 2.75 for the same thing. Big difference between .55 and 2.75 for those who are just over the line to qualify for reduced price lunches.
 
Country_Gal said:
One thing I would worry about is the quality. I really think that schools should take seriously the need to improve the health of children, through exercise and healthier meals!
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The Federal Swine Health Protection Act (PL 96 468). has made it illegal to feed hogs food scraps from kitchens that serve meat.
 
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