COLUMBIA, S.C. — One South Carolina lawmaker wants to expand free breakfast and lunch for public school students and end school lunch shaming practices.
During the 2020-2021 school year, 64 percent of students qualified for free or reduced lunch.
"Over 153,000 children, thats one in 7 children in our state, are not nourished properly," said Wholespire Executive Director Meg Stanley.
More than half of the state's school districts are eligible to participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Community Eligibility program. Eleven districts don't fully participate, or don't participate at all.
Under the program, schools in low-income areas get money to serve meals at no cost to all students.
“We have schools – about 108 at last count – that are qualified to participate in the Community Eligibility Program (CEP) to receive the federal reimbursements, but they weren’t participating," Stanley said.
Under a one-year budget law by Sen. Katrina Shealy, school districts would only be able to opt out if it causes a financial hardship and they must be able to prove it.
“We know that children learn better when they have a full stomach," Shealy said. "They pay attention better. It’s better for the teachers."
The proviso also aims to end school lunch shaming practices, which are penalties for students' families who are unable to pay or are behind on payments.
Those practices can include throwing a student's lunch out or not letting them walk across a graduation stage.
"That punishment really has nothing to do with their lunch debt," Stanley said.
According to the Education Data Initiative, 40,000 students in South Carolina had lunch debt in 2021, averaging $168 per student.
In 2022, lawmakers banned districts from using a debt collection agency to collect meal fees.
The proviso is now in the hands of the House. If passed, it would go into effect next school year.
A separate proposal by Sen. Shealy seeks to give all public students free breakfast and lunch. It would also require schools to provide a 30-minute lunch period for all students. The bill has yet to get a hearing this year.
“School lunch room staff had said they prefer universal school meals. It streamlines their processes down to the point of sale to food distribution and food ordering," Stanley said.
So far, Colorado, California, Maine and Vermont have passed laws to continue providing free meals once all waivers end in June 2023, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The bill could cost up to $90 million. Funds from the federal government reimburse most costs to school districts under CEP.