Rep. Omar introduces No Shame at School Act to stop shaming of kids over school lunch debt
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Given that student loan debt is a crisis, it tends to be the focus of conversation when it comes to debt relief in education. Rep. Ilhan Omar, Democrat of Minnesota, however, has highlighted another debt problem in education: school lunch debt. Last WednRep. Omar introduces No Shame at School Act to stop shaming of kids over school lunch debt
Given that student loan debt is a crisis, it tends to be the focus of conversation when it comes to debt relief in education. Rep. Ilhan Omar, Democrat of Minnesota, however, has highlighted another debt problem in education: school lunch debt. Last Wednesday, Omar and Democratic U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, also of Minnesota, introduced a bill known as the No Shame at School Act to eliminate the school lunch debt shaming practices that continue to terrorize kids and teenagers. “Across this country, students whose families are struggling to afford school meals are being singled out and humiliated at lunchtime,” said Omar. Not all families can afford the cost of school meals for their children. Schools have reacted in some traumatizing ways: Whether it’s identifying kids who are in “lunch debt” with a wristband or separate lunch line, or using actual debt collectors to get money from parents, these practices embarrass kids and cause strain on families. Mind you, for many kids, these lunches are the only meals they can consistently rely on. The last thing low-income kids and their families need is more stress or shame surrounding food. «Everyone knows you can't learn or perform well when you are hungry. We need to support students in Minnesota and across the country by ensuring that kids are not humiliated because of an inability to pay for lunch,» Smith said in a statement. Studies back this up. «Just take a look at Trump's budget, which would cut $1.7 billion from the child nutrition program and eliminate food assistance to millions,» Rep. Omar said. Read more