By in
Rhode Island’s Future
EDITOR’S
NOTE: “Lunch-shaming” is also practiced at Chariho, according
to the Westerly Sun. If a student’s parents are behind on paying for school
lunch, the child is given the kind of “alternative lunch” described in this
article. - Will Collette
A new bill seeks to outlaw lunch shaming policies
in Rhode Island public school cafeterias by mandating “Type A” lunches for all
students.
The way it’s written, it
could also make school lunch free to all students.
“It’s a very simple solution,” said the
bill’s lead sponsor Rep. Marcia Ranglin-Vassell, of Providence, “provide a hot
meal to every child who comes to school, regardless of their zip code or their
family’s ability to pay.”
“All public elementary and secondary schools shall be required to make type A lunches available to students attending those schools in accordance with rules and regulations adopted from time to time by the department of elementary and secondary education. To the extent that federal, state, and other funds are available, free and reduced price type A lunches shall be provided to all students from families that meet the current specific criteria established by federal and state regulations.” The bill eliminates the phrase, “from families that meet the current specific criteria established by federal and state regulations.”
This language would seem
to make all school lunches in Rhode Island free for all students. “The way we
interpret this bill, it could make all school lunches free,” said House
spokesman Larry Berman.
Ranglin-Vassell, a Providence school teacher, could not
immediately be reached for comment about the scope of the legislation. The bill
was posted either last night or this morning. New Mexico, which recently made
national news for banning lunch shaming, did so by passing the Hunger Free
Students’ Bill of Rights Act.
“I think that it’s a shame that we’re even having a conversation
about feeding our children,” Ranglin-Vassell said in a statement to this
reporter last night, before the bill was posted.
The late-in the-session
legislation was a response to school district policies across the state – from
East Greenwich to Pawtucket – that deny students hot lunch because their
parents owe money.
It’s become known as the “cheese sandwich policy” after two
revealing stories from RI Future. Part 1: Suburbs say let them eat cheese sandwiches and Part 2: Urban schools and cheese
sandwiches
“Food shaming is about singling out
kids for unfair treatment and it’s about stereotyping;but it’s also about kids
not going to the cafeteria so they remain hungry for the entire school day,”
said Ranglin-Vassell. “Hungry kids cannot learn,they just can’t. I’ve said it
repeatedly, to grow this economy, we must invest in our children, that’s making
sure that children have food to eat, and a classroom that is clean, warm and
dry.”
The bill is co-sponsored
by representatives Mia Ackerman, of Cranston, John Lombardi and Ray Hull, of
Providence, and Bobby Nardolillo, a Republican from Coventry.
There’s no Senate version
of this bill. In a joint statement Senate President Dominick Ruggerio and Education
Chairwoman Hannah Gallo, said, “If legislation is introduced in the Senate, the
Education Committee will work with all parties involved, including parents, the
Department of Education, and school districts, to examine current policies in
the districts, available options, and the fiscal impact of any proposal.”
According to a USDA primer on the National School Lunch
Program, there is a significant nutritional difference between Type
A and Type B lunches.
“The Type B pattern was
devised to provide a supplementary lunch in schools where adequate facilities
for the preparation of a Type A lunch could not be provided,” according to the USDA. “Type A
lunch was designed to meet one-third to one-half of the minimum daily
nutritional requirements of a child 10 to 12 years of age.”
The state Department of
Education has recommended against school districts using the cheese sandwich
policy, but has maintained that school lunch policies are best set at the local
level.
“School lunch policies
have historically been under the purview of districts, and we think it’s
important that schools and communities continue to have conversations about
solutions that work for their students and families,” said RIDE spokesman Meg Geoghegan in a statement.
“Regardless of whether the policy is set at the district level or through state
law, we want our schools to carefully consider any potential impact on the
student, and to take an inclusive and compassionate approach so all children
feel supported.”
Articles in this series
Legislation would end 'lunch-shaming' cheese sandwich policy,
maybe much more
Bob Plain is the editor/publisher of Rhode
Island's Future. Previously, he's worked as a reporter for several different
news organizations both in Rhode Island and across the country.