Standard to have all students sign up for free/reduced lunch? (Gainesville: how much, purchase)

[arjay57]

We have some friends whose child is starting school and they were told they needed to fill out the application for free and/or reduced lunch. They were a little taken aback but is that now routine for all students?

[flyonpa]

They ask everyone to fill it out, so they are not discriminating or profiling students. There is no requirement that parent fill out the details.

Just put there name (or students name on it) White Does not apply and return it. The school need to show that that send out the form, and got it back, It does not need to be filled out, just need to be returned for tracking / compliance.

They even did it back in the 1970's when in was in School. I think my school district had a 2-3% Free/reduced lunch percentage. But to find that % they had to send the form to everyone.

[Esteban5]

I believe the program is means tested.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by flyonpa

They ask everyone to fill it out, so they are not discriminating or profiling students. There is no requirement that parent fill out the details.

Just put there name (or students name on it) White Does not apply and return it. The school need to show that that send out the form, and got it back, It does not need to be filled out, just need to be returned for tracking / compliance.

They even did it back in the 1970's when in was in School. I think my school district had a 2-3% Free/reduced lunch percentage. But to find that % they had to send the form to everyone.

Thanks, flyonpa! We may have done that but it's been so long that I can't recall.

[Newsboy]

Don't get me started on free / reduced lunch! It's an enormous scam. Basically EVERYBODY who applies gets it regardless of whether they are income challenged or not. And yet, it is the ONLY DATA SET used by the government to determine the poverty level of a school districts. Just think about that for a few minutes and you'll see the absurdity of it all.

School lunch programs are already so heavily subsidized it would make a lot more sense just to make ALL school lunches free and roll the extra cost into the overall operation budget.

[OhioNative]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

School lunch programs are already so heavily subsidized it would make a lot more sense just to make ALL school lunches free and roll the extra cost into the overall operation budget.

That's what they do in Gainesville City Schools. They figured out that it was cheaper to offer everyone a free lunch (and breakfast) than to do all the administrative work to sort out who was eligible.

[Tryska]

I can't find it in me to hate on school lunch programs.

For some kids who live below the poverty line (and there are some schools that are 90% eligible), it's the only food they may get, because yes - things are that bad at home.

And they struggle in the summers.

You want kids to 'break the poverty cycle', make sure they are fed, and healthy so that they can actually learn.

Video: Poor Kids | Watch FRONTLINE Online | PBS Video

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

Don't get me started on free / reduced lunch! It's an enormous scam. Basically EVERYBODY who applies gets it regardless of whether they are income challenged or not. And yet, it is the ONLY DATA SET used by the government to determine the poverty level of a school districts. Just think about that for a few minutes and you'll see the absurdity of it all.

School lunch programs are already so heavily subsidized it would make a lot more sense just to make ALL school lunches free and roll the extra cost into the overall operation budget.

Well golly gee, I'd hate for poor children to actually have food to eat.

[matilda79]

Considering the tax dollars spent on much bigger and much more wasteful programs in this country, I'm more than comfortable with a little waste, or (gasp) someone not really being all that "eligible" for the school lunch program. Have you seen what they serve? This is the cheapest of all food. Nothing fancy at all.

In fact, school should just serve lunch to everyone free of charge, period. All these sad stories about kids parents' forgetting to load their funds and them getting sent away from the lunch line hungry, I'm just tired of hearing.

I think much like brand name clothing worn at school, having a tiered, means-tested lunch program creates yet another reason for social exclusion. When I was in school, those who qualified for free and reduced lunch used a special card to purchase lunch, while those on "full price" lunch did not. Everyone immediately knew who the "poor" kids were and they were bullied for it. I was one of those kids.

I don't know how they do things today, but I would hope it is more discreet at least. But hey, free lunch for all would pretty much fix all that.

[arjay57]

Suits me to provide free lunch for everybody at school.

Just make it included and do away with the forms. How much does it cost anyway?