A bill that would make sure that students have access to full lunches at school passed the State House on Monday.
By a 118-84 vote, house bill 2180 now moves to the senate for approval. The bill prohibits what has been nicknamed as “lunch shaming”, where students are singled out for going into debt for school lunches by either being provided a low-cost alternative or requiring them to wear handstamps or wristbands to identify them as having school meal debt. Schools would also be prevented from taking punitive action against students for eating school lunches they can’t afford, such as suspension or detention, and prevented from threatening families with collections, lawsuits or reports to children and youth services over lunch debt.
The bill also would provide $80 million to assist public schools with wiping out school lunch debt starting next school year.
Both State Representatives Jim Struzzi and Brian Smith voted against the measure. The legislation was previously enacted in Pennsylvania, but it was repealed several years ago.
Comments