This is where we are…. Sigh… https://www.yahoo.com/news/wisconsin-school-district-says-students-203230279.html
Okay, that's a very, very stupid argument, yes, and it makes me wonder what the people who get put in charge of schools in some places are thinking. But... in case someone only reads the headline and things kids are going to starve: "Instead of allowing any student to qualify for free school meals, Waukesha voted to return to the National School Lunch Program, which requires families to fill out an application to qualify for free or reduced-price school meals." I don't have a problem with that. If you're a parent who needs help feeding your kids you should get it, absolutely, but that doesn't mean that Uncle Sam is your co-parent.
What if you normally make enough money (and you still do on paper) but you've got too many bills from being off work due to the pandemic? Your kid will not qualify for the National program already in place, so how are you going to feed them if you're struggling?
I'm all for loosening eligibility for SNAP and FRSL, but the solution is not that Washington, D.C. literally buys kids half the meals every kid in the U.S. eats whether their parents need it or not. Doubly so in that Michelle Obama was absolutely right about the poor quality of food served to kids in schools.
When you look at the under 18 poverty rates in our communities, I can think of a better service then across the board free lunches.
Or here: https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2021/08/gov-kate-brown-signed-a-law-to-allow-oregon-students-to-graduate-without-proving-they-can-write-or-do-math-she-doesnt-want-to-talk-about-it.html
No matter what, Americans can't get past the idea that an education is a privilege that should have lots of gatekeepers and barriers. In many places in the world lunch is just part of public schooling. Universities are much more accessible, etc. To be fair, a lot of issues at school are caused by issues in the home. Many believe that schools "shouldn't have to" address those issues - and they most certainly aren't designed to properly address those issues. And public schools (at least in sizeable city systems like what I went through here in Columbus, not necessarily in wealthier suburban systems) unfortunately seem to spend a lot of time and energy and resources on that lowest contingent with the greatest need.
I told my wife I thought our son was spoiled. She said all kids smell that way. -- Rodney Dangerfield
