Children & Lunch-Shaming in America

Children & Lunch-Shaming:
America’s Neglected Stain
Written by
Meghan Smith
Written For
The Committee on Education and the Workforce
United States House of Representatives
Submitted to RWU Advanced Writing Competition
36 Bayview Avenue Professor Melvyn Topf
Bristol, Rhode Island 02809 Writing on Law and Public Policy
Msmith607@g.rwu.edu WTNG 430.01
845.825.1239 Fall 2017
ID 1100070

2Children & Lunch Shaming: America’s Neglected Stain
Meghan A. Smith
36 Bayview Avenue
Bristol, Rhode Island 02809
January 29, 2018
Congresswoman Virginia Foxx
U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce
2176 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
To Chairwoman Virginia Foxx:
Attached is the report “Children & Lunch Shaming: America’s Neglected Stain”. This report is
written for all of the children who are being bullied in school and teased for their family’s
financial burdens. This report is for the children who are unable to focus on their work because
the stamp on the back of their hand reminds them that tomorrow they may not get to eat when
the lunch bell rings.
In this report, you will find reasons as to why this committee should pay attention to the shaming
our children are enduring. It is no longer an issue that affects a few families and schools, children
across the country have to go through it at some point in their school years.
This report will be divided into six enlightening sections; executive summary, introduction,
overview, the effects that lunch shaming has on our children, how we should eliminate lunch
shaming, and ending with final remarks.
I hope that these findings will leave the committee inspired to help eliminate the embarrassment
and burden that these children are feeling from actions being done within their own schools; a
place they should be eager to grow and learn, not stigmatized and branded.
I thank you for your time and I hope you will make this ongoing issue a top priority for the
benefit of America’s children.
Sincerely,
Meghan A. Smith

Table of Contents
Letter of Transmittal…………………………………………………………………2
Executive Summary………………………………………………………………….4
Introduction………………………………………………………….……………….5
Overview of the Anti-Lunch Shaming Act…………………….…………………….5
Lunch Shaming & the Effects on Children……………………………………..…....6
Bullying…………………………………………………………………...….7
Lack of Focus……………………………………………………………..….8
Ridding the Country of Lunch Shaming…………………………………………...…9
Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………10
References……………………………………………………………………………11

Executive Summary
The report “Children and Lunch Shaming: America’s Neglected Stain”, will discuss the
implications lunch shaming has on children across the United States. Lunch shaming is the act of
publically identifying a child who cannot afford to pay for their meal or whose parents are in
debt to the school food authority. Shaming happens based on policies set by the school food
authorities by stamping the child’s arm, giving them a bracelet, forcing them to perform chores
to compensate the meal or throwing out the lunch entirely and replacing the served meal with a
smaller and noticeably less food. These acts leave the child stigmatized, embarrassed, and
vulnerable to bullies, ultimately disrupting their focus in the classroom.
The Anti-Lunch Shaming Act put forth to congress by Representative Michelle Grisham
of New Mexico will help get rid of these unnecessary tactics of shaming children and will assist
schools in thinking of more practical and effective ways to contact the child’s parent or guardian.
The Anti-Lunch Shaming Act is currently sitting in the Committee on Education and the
Workforce under the supervision of the Head of Committee Virginia Foxx of North Carolina
with a total of 131 cosponsors from both parties.
If passed, the Anti-Lunch Shaming Act will keep children who cannot afford their lunch
from being publically stigmatized amongst their peers and keep their focus on what really
matters, learning in the classroom.

Introduction
Children across the country are being stigmatized by their school cafeterias before,
during, and after their lunch period. Lunch is a time for students to take a mental and physical
break from their long school day, however for many children, lunch can be the most stressful
time of the day.
Over five million children across the United States are members of families who cannot
afford to send their children to school with a lunchbox or enough money to buy a school lunch.
When a child is in school, they should be concerned with one thing; learning. By stigmatizing
them, these schools are pulling them away from their job of being students and causing all kinds
of present and future problems. Children who are lunch shamed are more vulnerable to bullying
and increases their lack of focus in the classroom. Our nation can do better for these young
developing children; we can and will put an end to lunch shaming.
This report will showcase an overview of the proposed bill that will help the children
being shamed, The Anti Lunch Shaming Act. We will discuss the current status of the bill, an
explanation of the importance of the bill, as well as the success stories from schools and states
across the country who have gotten rid of lunch shaming in their schools. By the end of this
report, readers should understand just how important it is that we rid our schools of lunch
shaming practices.
Overview of the Anti-Lunch Shaming Act of 2017
The introduction of Bill H.R. 2401, The Anti-Lunch Shaming Act of 2017, is a long
awaited act of support for the children who are being shamed by institutions around the country.
The act strives to amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act in order to prevent
the stigmatization of children who are unable to pay for meals. The National School Lunch Act
was made law on June 4, 1946, and created the National Lunch Program which allows families
to apply for discounted or free lunch for their children, depending on their family’s financial
status. The National School Lunch program helps over 30.4 million children in the United States
alone but there are still countless number of families whose income just barely misses the cutoff
line for assistance (USDA, 2017). These children are the ones who feel the ongoing effects of
lunch shaming, and they are the children this bill could benefit the most.
The Anti-Lunch Shaming Act was put forth by Representative Michelle Lujan Grisham of
New Mexico along with the support of her colleagues, Representative Rodney Davis of Illinois,
Bobby Scott of Virginia, Ms. DeLauro and Mr. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico. The act covers
any student who:
I. Is involved in the National School Breakfast or National School Lunch Programs
established under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act
II. Does not have funds to pay for lunch or breakfast
III. Has outstanding credit that was extended by a school food authority

The Anti-Lunch Shaming Act states that these covered students are not to be stigmatized by
any authority in their school for the lack of funds for meals. The school food authorities shall not
permit:
I. The public identification or stigmatization of a covered child such as by requiring the
child to wear a wristband or stamp on their arm
II. The child perform chores or any other activity that is not normally required of
students
III. Disposing the lunch that the child was given, and replacing it with a lesser lunch or
breakfast
The final section of the proposed bill discusses the communication options for a school food
authority and the parent or guardian, alleviating the involvement of the child. A school food
authority shall require that “any communication relating to an outstanding credit shall be directed
to a parent or guardian, not the covered child”. Also, the food authority may give the child a
letter to deliver to their parent or guardian, however, the letters are not allowed to be distributed
in a manner that stigmatizes the covered child. Finally, the bill ends with the suggestion for the
school food authority to make better use of today’s technology when attempting to communicate
with the parent or guardian.
Current Status. The Anti-Lunch Shaming Act has been proposed by Congresswoman
Michelle Grisham on May 8, 2017. Currently, it has been introduced and referred to the
Committee on Education and the Workforce, to whom this report is addressed to. It has been
sitting in the committees grasp for over seven months and has not yet been reviewed by head
chairwoman, Virginia Foxx of North Carolina. This is known based on an email that was
received after contacting the congresswoman for more information regarding the bill. Foxx
stated, “So far this congress, thousands of legislative measures have been introduced in the
House of Representatives alone and I have not had the opportunity to review H.R. 2401.”
Since it is a known concept that bills that remain in committee for an extended period of time
usually get ignored and pushed out, it is the goal of this report to prove to Congresswoman Foxx
and her colleagues on the committee of this bills importance for children across America.
Lunch Shaming & the Effects on Children
The practice of lunch shaming is widespread and cannot be contained to one area in the
country. In a 2014 report from the Department of Agriculture, researchers found that nearly half
of the school districts in the United States use shaming tactics of some sort to guilt the parents
into paying their bill. Forty-five percent withheld the hot meal and gives the child a cold
sandwich, while three percent deny the child food entirely (Siegel, 2017). The USDA is calling
schools to stop “embarrassing” and “singling out” students who don’t have enough money for
their lunch and breakfasts, however it is obvious that their request have been swiftly ignored
(Long, 2017).
In Albuquerque, New Mexico, before their Hunger-Free Students Bill of Rights Act was
established, Hazel Compton, age 12, recalls “They would use the sandwich like a threat. Like, ‘If

you don’t want it, your parents have to pay’…” (Siegel, 2017). In Pennsylvania, a school lunch
worker quit when she was forced to follow the schools protocol that required her to take the
child’s food away from him due to an unpaid bill. While it is understood that schools need to
receive payment for these meals, it is wrong to involve the child so much in the process.
The importance of this bill is evident; our children are being treated poorly and without
consideration for their well-being. The school food authorities are using them as pawns to get to
their parent or guardian, but they are not pawns, and should never be treated as such – they are
innocent children that have been unnecessarily brought into an adult mess. School
communication regarding lunch bills should be directed to the parent or guardian of the child,
and not the child in any way. The financial worries of their family is not their burden to bear as
such a young age. By branding these students with stamps or bracelets, or giving them obviously
different meals from their peers, the schools are continuously ostracizing and stigmatizing them.
School is a place for them to learn and grow, both academically and socially, and these shaming
actions hurt their esteem, focus, and mental and physical health. When a child and their family
are both insecure in food and finances, it can cause or further escalate an array of behavioral
problems including: fighting, hyperactivities, aggression, anxiety, mood swings and bullying
(Feeding America, 2017). Alleviating lunch shaming in our schools across the country could
diminish the gap children feel and see among their peers, creating a positive and equal
environment for all students.
Lunch Shaming & Bullying
No one can say that they have never once experienced bullying – whether they were the
bully or were bullied, this concept is so intricately woven into our society that it is inevitable one
should encounter it. Bullying can come an all forms, whether it be traditional name calling and
physical altercations, or more modern ways such as cyber-bullying – an act that has come to
fruition due to cell phones and social media, and has affected younger and older generations
around the world. Bullying is seen in school and out of school, from older and younger students
and even adults and has shaped some children to become unstable and fragile, or some
independent and strong. However, most people can attest that majority of the time, bullying
damages people in ways they do not quite see or understand.
The school food authorities that stamp children, throw away their lunches, or hand out
letters in a demeaning way to those families are financially struggling are part of the problem.
The actions these authorities are taking are in fact not helping the system, but rather bullying
children and making them even more vulnerable to peer-bullying in schools all around the
country. According to researchers, “Higher age and better socio-economic differences between
classmates were risk factors associated with being a bully, while younger age and poorer socio-
economic conditions than classmates were associated with being a victim of bullying” (Chaux &
Castellanos, 2015). Research found that when a school society has strong hierarchies among
students based on their socio-economic status, there is more bullying against those with lower
economic status. These lunch shaming practices outright separate the children from their peers;

seeing a child with the lesser lunch creates an invisible gap between those who can afford a
normal lunch.
Caitlin Dolan, a seventh grader from Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, recalls a time when she
reached the cash register only to be denied her meal because her parents owed the school lunch
money, due to a miscommunication from the year before. “I was so embarrassed. It’s really
weird being denied food in front of everyone. They all talk about you…” (Siegel, 2017). Lunch
shaming is a form of bullying, and what is the most unsettling is that it is actions taken by adults.
By letting these authorities treat our students in this way, it creates an environment susceptible to
bullying for all students that are affected.
The long term effects of bullying caused by lunch shaming are something we as a country
and as a government can work to change by passing this bill. The initial affect that
embarrassment and bullying has on a child can continue to affect them for years to come. In a
New York Times article, parent Kerry Krepps says her son refuses to eat peanut butter
sandwiches to this day, because in middle school when students were unable to pay, they were
sent to a table in the middle of the cafeteria to make their own peanut butter sandwiches in front
of all their peers. Krepps said in the interview about her son, “The humiliation has persisted for
20 years. It shows how lasting these experiences can be” (Siegel, 2017).
Lunch Shaming & Lack of Focus
In addition to being outcaste and more vulnerable to bullies, being branded with lunch
shaming acts such as a bracelet or a stamp, or being given a much less fulfilling meal, can cause
lack of focus for the student for the rest of their school day from worry and hunger.
Knowing your own family is not financially stable is a hard burden to carry at a young
age. What makes it even harder, is knowing that the school lunch authorities are publically
exposing your family’s hardships to the rest of the school; students, teachers, faculty all have a
judgmental grasp on your family’s financial status. It is important for lawmakers to realize that
branding these children will draw their attention far away from the classroom and keep them
from being successful. How – when the child looks down and sees a stamp that says “I need
lunch money” on their forearm as they write in their workbook – will they be able to focus on the
learning?
In addition to the constant reminder the child receives, they may also be hungry from a
lack of sufficient fuel. It is typical that when a child cannot afford their lunch while at school,
that their meals at home are lacking as well. For many children, school meals are the only ones
they receive for the day. Food insecurity is a national problem, and when the only time to get a
nutritious meal for these kids is during the school day, how are we going to deny them that? For
many families that are food insecure, their children come to school already hungry, looking
forward to their lunch period, yet only to find out their balance is in the negatives and they have
no cash to pay for their meal. When given the alternate lunch of sometimes a cold cheese
sandwich or a bowl of fruit, they are expected to be fueled for the rest of the day – however most
are not. According to reports, school districts are feeding their students with adequate

replacements, however these replacement lunches are more like snacks, leaving the affected
child hungry. For the remainder of the day when they attempt to do work, a hungry child will
find their brain to be fatigued and weak, making it incredibly difficult to concentrate. For a child
who may need a hearty lunch to get through the day and to concentrate, it is unjust to deny them
what they need to succeed in the classroom.
Children are the future of our country; their success means our success. When a school
stigmatizes a child with these actions, they could be decimating the confidence and focus of a
potential lawyer, doctor, professor, or executive. Children deserve all the possibilities to succeed,
especially those who live impoverished lives. It is imperative that children are given all the
opportunities in school, and that starts with ending lunch shaming.
Ridding the Country of Lunch Shaming
The idea of getting rid of lunch shaming across America is very attainable. States such as
New Mexico, Texas, and California all have passed laws that help rid schools of these wrongful
acts. New Mexico launched the revolution with their law “Hunger Free Students Bill of Rights
Act”, leading California to initiate their “Child Hunger Prevention and Fair Treatment Act of
2017” and Texas’ Senate Bill #1566 which has integrated small but important aspects of getting
rid of lunch shaming. The success of these bills are a perfect example of the impact the Anti-
Lunch Shaming Act could have on schools and students around the country and how attainable it
is for states to find some way to get rid of these practices.
Individuals across America are also acting as white knights for our children; stepping in
and standing up for them, paying for them, with some parents or faculty members going as far as
raising thousands of dollars to cancel out the debts to keep schools from lunch shaming. In an
elementary school in Houston, Texas, special education teacher Chris Robinson saw a child
walking around the cafeteria salvaging scraps to eat for lunch. In the interview Robinson recalled
that “it took all his inner strength not to cry” (Long, 2017). From that eye opening experience,
Robinson created a GoFundMe page where he raised about $700 to assist some students who
found themselves in debt. Currently on the website there are over 30 accounts trying to raise
money to help kids and their families who are in lunch debt (Long, 2017).
In Seattle, Washington, after hearing numerous heartbreaking stories of children being
denied food, a third-graders father was dedicated to helping out in his son’s school. He found
that his son’s schools lunch debt was only $97.10, and felt he could do more. The father created
a GoFundMe page as well and continued to raise money, and after only a week, raised $23,738.
With that money, he cancelled out lunch debt in 99 schools in Seattle (Earl, 2017).
These stories are evidence that people care about these children, and want them to focus
on the important things like learning and growing, and not worry about being shamed. If these
hundreds and thousands of strangers are willing to help get rid of lunch shaming, why can’t our
government see the need as well?
While it is understood that the debt owed needs to be paid, it is the sole goal of the Anti-
Lunch Shaming Act to keep the children out of the communication process and says nothing

regarding the payment process, which is what makes this bill so unique. When people think of
lunch shaming and lunch money their heads automatically jump to the conclusion of payments
and free lunches etc. But when looking at the entire picture, we can help the most important
people in the shaming process, the students, by simply eliminating the stigmatizing ways of these
school food authorities.
Conclusion
Passing the Anti-Lunch Shaming Act will protect so many children from the harsh
realities they should not be expected to experience at such a young age. Finances, bills and
money should not be top of mind for an 8 year old, they should be excited for recess, making
new friends and the new book they will read in class.
Lunch shaming in America is unjust and completely preventable. The use of such tactics
like stamping and lunch replacements are barbaric and inconsiderate to child’s mental well-
being. Stigmatizing these children make them more vulnerable to bullying and also cause an
increasing lack of focus on their school work. Fixing this preventable issue should be a cause
that both parties can agree on – shaming our children because of their parent’s financial status is
no way to effectively gain back the lunch debt.
With technology at our fingertips, schools and parent should be able to figure out much
more effective and reasonable ways to contact one another. Apps, phone calls, automated emails,
etc., all of these ways of communication can be effective alternatives to the shaming that is going
on in over forty percent of the nation’s school districts.
Our children are our future doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers and
teachers. We as a country should be giving every child the ability to succeed and thrive in
schools, but as long as lunch shaming is still going on, they will continue to be suppressed. Pass
the Anti-Lunch Shaming Act, because our children should not be caught in the middle of these
stigmatizing tactics.

References
Anti-Lunch Shaming Act of 2017. H.R. 2401, 115th Cong., Congress.gov (2017, May 8)
(Enacted). Retrieved from https://www.congress.gov/115/bills/hr2401/BILLS-
115hr2401ih.pdf
Chaux, E., & Castellanos, M. (2015). Money and age in schools: Bullying and power
imbalances. Aggressive Behavior, 41(3), 280-293. doi:10.1002/ab.21558
Earl, Jennifer. (2017, May 16). Dad starts campaign to end “Lunch Shaming,” erases
debts at 99 schools. CBS News. Retrieved from
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dads-wanted-to-pay-off-schools-lunch-debt-
ends-up-covering-entire-district/
Feeding America. (2017). Child Hunger Facts. Retrieved November 06, 2017, from
http://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/child-hunger-facts.html
Hunger-Free Students Bill of Rights Act. SB 374. Retrieved from
https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/17%20Regular/final/SB0374.pdf
Long, Heather (2017, May 10). School Lunch Shaming: Inside America’s Hidden Debt
Crisis. CNN Money. Retrieved from
http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/09/news/economy/school-lunch-shaming-debt-
crisis/index.html?iid=EL
Pupil meals: Child Hunger Prevention and Fair Treatment Act of 2017. S. 250, 115th Cong.
(2017) (enacted).
Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. P.L. 79–396, 60 Stat. 230, (June 4, 1946)
(Enacted). Retrieved from https://fns-
prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/NSLA.pdf
Siegel, B. (2017, April 30). Shaming Children So Parents Will Pay the School Lunch
Bill. The New York Times. Retrieved from
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/30/well/family/lunch-shaming-children-
parents-school-
bills.html?action=click&contentCollection=N.Y.%20%2F%20Region&module=
RelatedCoverage®ion=EndOfArticle&pgtype=article

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