During an interview with CNN on July 28, days before being named as Kamala Harris’ running mate, Tim Walz was imagining how his record as Minnesota governor might be portrayed by his political opponents. “What a monster!” he laughed. “Kids are eating and having full bellies so they can go learn.”
Walz, a former high school teacher, was referring to his policy which delivered free breakfast and lunch to students at participating schools in the state – something which is opposed by many on the conservative side. Project 2025’s mandate laments that “federal school meals increasingly resemble entitlement programs.”
But Minnesota is something of an outlier, and the reality is that millions of American schoolchildren are in debt over their school meals, and the consequences are much wider ranging than simply financial issues.
In 2020, amid the rise of the coronavirus pandemic, the federal government allowed all U.S. schools to offer meals to students at no cost, regardless of family income or whether they had ever qualified for free school meals before. As schools turned to remote learning in an effort to quell the spread of the virus, families could pick up the lunches or have them delivered.
That policy expired in June 2022. Now, it is estimated the national public school meal debt amounts to $262 million for 2023, according to the Education Data Initiative. In 2022, the School Nutrition Association (SNA) surveyed 4,084 school districts throughout the U.S., finding that the overall reported median unpaid meal debt among 847 districts was $5,164. In a November 2022 survey by the School Nutrition Association, 96.3 percent of districts reported that the end of federal waivers led to an increase in unpaid debt.
Millions of U.S. school children are fed every day through the National School Lunch Program free of charge if their household’s income is no more than 130 percent of the federal poverty line. Others with a household income that is greater than 130 percent and up to 185 percent of the federal poverty line, get lunches at a reduced price. All other children who come from families that earn enough need to pay for their own school provided meals.
According to a 2023 paper published by researchers at George Mason University, the nature of free school meal programs (SMPs) being means assessed can lead to confusion when parents apply, and can leave children whose families are on the cusp of the threshold cut off from access.
“When eligibility cutoffs and enrollment errors leave children out of SMPs, families are vulnerable to student debt,” the paper reads. “Students whose family’s income is just above the income eligibility requirement are required to pay full price for meals, which may not always be possible. Further, families may not be aware that even after previously being denied enrollment in SMPs, they can reapply anytime during the school year, or that they may have access to translators or application assistance.”
“The realization that many students accumulating meal debt may actually qualify for SMP enrollment, or a change in status from reduced-price lunch to free lunch, sheds light on current school districts falling short in reaching the children these programs are intended to help.”
School meal debt, like any outstanding dues accrued for whatever reason, can cast a dark cloud on families already struggling to get by. But the consequences for America’s children reach further than the monetary struggles they are not even responsible for.
Punishment for Poverty
In September 2023, Deptford Township School District in New Jersey sent a letter to parents announcing that students with $50 or more in outstanding meal costs would receive restrictions in regards to their breakfast and lunch, as well as school activities.
Pre-K and kindergarten students would have continued to get breakfast and a basic lunch—a peanut butter or cheese sandwich along with a fruit, vegetable and milk—while first through fifth graders would have received the basic lunch but no longer be eligible for breakfast, the cost of which would have still been added to accounts. Students in sixth through 12th grade would get nothing.
“Our district is committed to providing these meals for students daily,” the letter read. “However, the district has encumbered a huge financial burden from families failing to pay their meal balances for their scholars. Such financial losses impact our programs, staff and supplies for students.” Newsweek has contacted Deptford Township School District for comment via the contact form on its website.
After a social media firestorm, the policy was revoked. It was indicative of some state and local authorities who are left by the federal government to formulate their own policies.
According to the Education Data Initiative, Arkansas prohibits providing an alternative meal, and school districts have the option to charge extra fees or assign debt collectors to claw back the cash. In Louisiana, denying a student a meal is permitted, but the parents or legal guardians of the student must be notified.
Other states have somewhat friendlier policies toward their children. In Iowa, the school is not permitted identify or stigmatize students who cannot pay for their school meals, with similar guidelines in place in other states.
If a child is offered an alternative meal, the reason why is often obvious, Krystal Hodge, assistant professor in food science and human nutrition at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, told Newsweek, which has additional ramifications.
“In many districts in the U.S., students who cannot pay are given an alternate lunch, a practice that clearly identifies the student as not being able to pay,” Hodge said. “It is likely that the involved administrations mean no harm by this, allowing students to have something for lunch while they have not paid their school lunch balance.”
Still, while school lunches are federally required to meet certain standards, such as providing a sufficient number of calories for children across different age groups, as every parent knows well, each child is different. Alternative meals are basic and the choice is not as wide as it would be with regular lunches—what may be perfectly satisfactory for one child may not be for another.
“If alternative options are not sufficient, this could lead to not having enough of specific nutrients like iron or zinc, or fiber found in fruits, vegetables, and whole-grains,” Hodge said. “If students are still hungry, this could result in lack of energy, impact a student’s ability to concentrate in school and could increase risks for other health issues associated with nutrient deficiencies.”
“From a nutrition perspective, it’s withholding nutrients that children need to grow. Over time, this can result in malnourishment, which will have a negative impact on growth and development,” Maya Feller, nutritionist, author and Wellness in the Schools board member, told Newsweek.
Studies have shown that a lack of fulfilling lunches is directly detrimental on a child’s performance in the classroom, inhibiting their ability to learn and take part in classroom activities. Children who benefit from a nutritious, filling lunch have been found to score better in tests and have increased concentration and better behavior.
Hodge said replacement meals ride on the belief that “something is better than nothing,” and while that may be true to an extent, “the negative effects from bullying and shame on mental health might counter some of the benefits provided by having something rather than nothing.”
“A child does not control their family budget or income and is therefore ‘punished’ for factors that are beyond their control,” she said.
‘Trauma That Lasts a Lifetime’
Penalizing children for not being able to afford school lunches leads to “trauma” that lasts into adulthood, Feller and Hodge agreed.
“Children from these households face stigma that leads to bullying both by peers and by the schools, who may discard already served lunches to in-debt students, mark them with stickers, or force them to complete chores,” a 2023 report from the Campaign for Children reads. In Arkansas, where replacement meals are not given, students have the option to work for their meals. George Mason University researchers reported that some students are physically marked—being made to wear or carry a stamp, sticker or note— acutely pointing out their failure to pay for their lunch for all their peers to see.
As previously mentioned, some states have rules in place that bar school staff from identifying and penalizing children based on meal debts. But a child’s peers are not so beholden to the same rules as staff.
“Children are acutely aware of their peers. Everyone sees difference. School mealtime can level the playing field and create community around mealtimes. Everyone has the same offerings and for a moment social hierarchy is removed,” Feller said.
“Using food as punishment for being poor brings socioeconomic into the lunchroom and creates a visual divide for all to see,” Feller continued. “The psychological strain of being punished publicly day after day can have a negative impact on self-esteem and mental health. This type of punishment is abusive and can create trauma that lasts a lifetime.”
In Lawmakers’ Hands
While school lunch debt remains a pervasive issue, some lawmakers are not blind to the consequences.
In 2023, a group of Senators put forward a bill that would direct the Department of Agriculture to pay for all debts owed to schools for lunch and breakfast programs nationwide.
“‘School lunch debt’ is a term so absurd that it shouldn’t even exist,” Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman posted on X, formerly Twitter. “That’s why I’m proud to introduce a bill to CANCEL the nation’s student meal debt and stop humiliating kids and penalizing hunger.”
‘School lunch debt’ is a term so absurd that it shouldn’t even exist.
That’s why I’m proud to introduce a bill to CANCEL the nation’s student meal debt and stop humiliating kids and penalizing hunger.https://t.co/mAaKdKo1Af
— Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) September 26, 2023
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar put forward the Universal School Meals Program Act of 2023, which would make all meals and snacks eaten during school hours free of charge, without students needing to prove their eligibility. It would also stamp out the practice of physically segregate a child “for the purpose of debt shaming” and prohibit schools from identifying a child “by a special token or ticket, an announced or published list of names, or any other means.” The bill was referred to the Senate Agriculture Committee in November 2023.
Some states are ahead of others in finding solutions for the problem: California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico and Vermont have all introduced programs making school breakfasts and lunches permanently free.
But in many other areas, the problem yet persists, and the children are the ones who suffer. “Adults need to do better and move away from carceral tactics in the school setting,” Feller said. “This is the opposite of creating a learning environment that is safe and encouraging.”
For now, the families of students with little means to pay can hope for the intervention of good Samaritans and charities that have stepped up to pay off the debts of others. On July 31, debtors union Debt Collective announced they had eliminated $5,000 worth of existing school meal debt for families in the Nazareth Area School District of Pennsylvania.
“We’re glad we can eliminate financial burdens for working families where we can, but we can only do so much,” the union said on X. “It’s time for legislators in Pennsylvania and across the nation need to take systemic action so children and their parents don’t go into debt for a school meal.”
The peers of children struggling with lunch debt have also stepped in. Daken Kramer, a Missouri 5th grader, raised twice the amount of money needed to pay off lunch debts at Thomas Ultican Elementary School in Blue Springs through an online fundraiser, earlier this year.
“Children in elementary school should not have debt tied to their name. We have found out that there are high schools that keep seniors from attending prom or walking at graduation if they have stuff like student lunch debt,” his mother Vanessa Kramer told CNN. “Some families can’t help it. They can’t pay it off.”
Does your child have unpaid school debts? Have you or your child been punished for being unable to afford to feed them? What would you have lawmakers do to help with the problem? Email a.higham@newsweek.com
