Bipartisan bill seeks to stop lunch shaming

For many students, school is not just a place to learn, but also a place to be fed. In the La Crosse school district, as many as 50% of students are eligible for a free or reduced lunch. But still some students are falling through the cracks. And in some Wisconsin schools, when students don’t have any money in their lunch accounts, they cannot have lunch, or are served an alternate meal. A bill being debated in Madison would require Wisconsin schools to provide lunch, no matter if a student’s lunch account is empty. Some schools have taken away lunch trays from students whose meal accounts have negative balances. This bipartisan legislation is designed to cut down on what is called “lunch shaming.” It would require Wisconsin schools to provide a student who requests a meal a school lunch or breakfast, and would prohibit schools from penalizing students who are hungry but unable to pay. Many school districts in the state have some policy regarding students with negative balances in their school lunch accounts, but this bill would provide a consistent policy across the state. It is good that this effort has support of both republicans and democrats. And it is good that some Wisconsin lawmakers are working to make sure that students have enough food in their stomachs to be able to concentrate in class, no matter their family’s income.