If your school isn't all free/reduced meals...

lifelearningrn, BSN, RN · Sep 19, 2017

How about a law to deal with this. Cashier stops the lunch line to deal with a student on the free lunch program..."you don't have a fruit, you have to have a fruit or you can't get a meal, now go over there and get a fruit...as she sets the kid's tray to the side to continue on with the line until the kid comes back with a fruit. Isn't that a form of "lunch shaming?"

This annoys me too. I think the only difference is that they do this to all and any kid that doesn't put the fruit/veg on their plate. The rules the cafeterias have to follow now are crazy. School lunches used to be good, whole foods cooked in the school, now it's all prepackaged stuff filled with preservatives an no flavor.

OldDude · Sep 19, 2017

I've always thought, since school attendance is compulsory, i.e., it's the LAW, everything should be provided for the kids while at school, lunch and school supplies included. Roll everything into the budget, plug that into the tax base and state/fed reimbursement and forget about it.

Back to my original post on this subject. The school should provide the food, let the kids eat what they want when they come through the line, and forget about it. Offer a balanced meal but if the kid isn't going to eat it, don't throw it in the trash just to document you've offered it...for God's sake, talk about stupid!! We wouldn't even be talking about "food shaming."

kidzcare · Sep 19, 2017

Offer a balanced meal but if the kid isn't going to eat it, don't throw it in the trash just to document you've offered it...for God's sake, talk about stupid!! We wouldn't even be talking about "food shaming."

agreed. Parents need to teach their kids to choose the healthy options.

GdBSN, RN · Sep 19, 2017

This popped-up on my FB recently. It has some great ideas. It makes me sick to see how much food is wasted at school. The sharing table is a great idea.

Texas public school districts may now store, not trash, leftover

Kooky Korky, BSN, RN · Sep 20, 2017

How does your school handle breakfast and/or lunch when a student's lunch account (if that's how you handle meal payments) gets too far in the hole?
New policy this year is that if a student goes $X in the negative they get an alternate lunch of a cheese sandwich & milk...all grades, K-12!! There is no way that is going to sustain a child who may not have eaten breakfast, let alone a middle or high school athlete.
We were faced with this situation for the first time today & it broke our hearts (student is obviously not a F/R meal kiddo). We ended up covering it so the student could eat a "normal" lunch today & hope mom comes through with her promise to send lunch money. I despise the fact that we are punishing the kids because the parent can't get their **** together! I'm rallying our nurses to try to change this. We can take a parent to court over unpaid book fees, why not meal fees?
Mods...please don't post this to FB.

Some schools have an emergency lunch fund or book store fund. Check to see if yours might.

smartnurse1982 · Sep 22, 2017

I think some people forget that just because a student does not qualify for reduced and free meals does not mean they can actually afford them.

They are called the working poor,and I have been in their shoes.

Too poor to buy lunch,but too rich for free lunch.

Eleven011 · Sep 22, 2017

This popped-up on my FB recently. It has some great ideas. It makes me sick to see how much food is wasted at school. The sharing table is a great idea.
Texas public school districts may now store, not trash, leftover

We do this! We have a "share table" where kids who take but don't eat a food item can put it on the table and then other kids who finish their meal and are still hungry can go the the share table and pick something. Only uncut fresh fruit or sealed items are allowed though (not random chicken nuggets).

Amethya · Oct 4, 2017

I actually pay for a student if they don't have money for lunch, because the one thing I hate is a child hungry because they don't have enough to eat. I rarely have this issue, but I had to do it at least 2 times last year.