New Mexico Outlaws School Lunch Shaming

[elleng]

(I guess this is 'good news' these day, but seems like simple civility to me.)

'What is “lunch shaming?” It happens when a child can’t pay a school lunch bill.

In Alabama, a child short on funds was stamped on the arm with “I Need Lunch Money.” In some schools, children are forced to clean cafeteria tables in front of their peers to pay the debt. Other schools require cafeteria workers to take a child’s hot food and throw it in the trash if he doesn’t have the money to pay for it.

In what its supporters say is the first such legislation in the country, New Mexico has outlawed shaming children whose parents are behind on school lunch payments.

On Thursday, Gov. Susana Martinez signed the Hunger-Free Students’ Bill of Rights, which directs schools to work with parents to pay their debts or sign up for federal meal assistance and puts an end to practices meant to embarrass children.'>>>

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/07/well/family/new-mexico-outlaws-school-lunch-shaming.html?

[DaleFromWPB]

1. This should be the policy in every school in every state

I'd even go one step farther ...

I'd like to see totally free breakfast and lunch in every school.

Hungry kids don't learn well.

[Doreen]

2. They had to make it into a fucking biill!!!!

How about simply saying you are not allowed to do that and if you do you can be sued? A fucking bill on common sense??? This pisses me off that they can't use common sense. I am glad they did pass it but that should not be something to be passed or not passed!!

[Stonepounder]

3. Doreen, while I agree with you that this should just be common sense,

we, as a nation, have gone so far to the right that anyone who makes less money than we do is someone to be looked down on and treated as 'not quite human'. Since it is no longer acceptable to publicly put down blacks, orientals, Irish, Italians, Germans, women, LGBT or any other not male white protestant, the only group left that we are allowed to publicly feel superior to is anyone poorer than 'us'.

Not sure what we are going to do when we get to the point where most people just accept everyone as just another human being. The right wing will probably just explode.

So, until we can manage to get closer to that ideal, then by all means, pass the bill and good for New Mexico!!

[Aristus]

4. Imagine having to legislate common human decency and compassion.

Oh well; some good with come from this.

[Recursion]

5. Jesus Christ on a Pogo Stick

In some cases, cafeteria workers have been ordered to throw away the hot lunches of children who owed money

That costs more. That costs more. That costs more. These sadistic bastards are paying to humiliate children.

[elleng]

6. I'm with you on that, the Pogo Stick that is.

[apkhgp]

8. I can only cross my fingers that this kind of thing spreads nationwide

It is one less trauma for the child to have to endure. We do not need them to be thinking about getting enough lunch money in addition to their education and trying to avoid these school shootings.