DOE drafts plan to provide lunch to kids with no money
Parents who neglect to pay will be referred to a collection agency
The Department of Education is drafting a two-pronged plan that cracks down on deadbeat parents who send their children to school with no lunch money but also ensures that no student goes without a full meal.
At a Board of Education committee meeting yesterday, department officials outlined a K-12 plan that would authorize schools to issue a specified number of loans for the 35-cent school breakfasts and $1 lunches, after which the unpaid debts would be turned over to a collection agency.
"This is so that every child is fed, regardless," said Randy Moore, the department's acting directing of business services.
An initial loan would be issued out of school funds to feed the child, accompanied by a note asking parents for repayment. After five such loans, another repayment reminder would be sent. After 10 more loans, a final note would inform parents the loans are being turned over to a debt collection agency.
What to do if the debt-collection notices are ignored remains to be worked out, Moore said.
Schools commonly extend short-term loans to students from school funds or even out of the pockets of school staff, most of which are rapidly repaid after parents are notified, department officials said.
But rarely, debts are run up by unresponsive parents, posing a conundrum for schools unwilling to let children go hungry. Some schools have taken to offering repeat offenders a stripped-down meal typically consisting of a roll and a drink until debts are repaid, a practice that would be forbidden under the new approach.
The lunch-money issue occurs mainly at the elementary level since younger children are less likely to have money of their own if not given any by their parents.
The department has notified schools and is awaiting feedback before putting the final touches on the policy. The plan could change based on input from schools, Moore said.
Some board members raised concerns yesterday about how schools would handle financial aspects of the plan, and warned different approaches might be needed for elementary, middle and high schools.
But member Mary Cochran, who chaired yesterday's Support Services Committee meeting, supported the idea. "We've been grappling with this issue for years, and it's time now to be creative," she said. "If you think outside the box, then every child will be fed."
Moore acknowledged implementation could be a "challenge," but said schools would be allowed flexibility within the basic parameters.
Schools are forbidden by federal law from using federal school lunch funds to issue lunch-money loans. Under the department's plan, loans would come directly out of school funds.
Some schools have "slush" funds raised by the local PTA to pay for such contingencies.
"If we're moving towards more local control of schools, then we have to expect the schools themselves to help out with this. It's not just a state problem," Cochran said.
Students from low-income families are eligible to receive federally subsidized free or reduced-price meals at schools. Often, the lunch-loan problem stems from parents, typically new immigrants or non-English speakers, not knowing about the federal subsidies, school principals say.