All of this context brings us to, shall we say, an intriguing situation in Missouri. As reported by St. Louis Today, a memo was sent to Catholic school principals and pastors in the St. Louis area, urging schools in the system to no longer participate in the school lunch program.
Now, it’s not explicitly clear why the Archdiocese is asking to make this change. But I’m going to use logical reasoning here and draw a possible connection based on the broad explanation provided in the Aug. 16 memo sent by General Counsel Tom Buckley.
The memo credits “changes in the interpretation” of non-discrimination statements in the Civil Rights Act. “Schools that receive funds from the USDA would be required to adhere to the policies of these programs,” the statement reads in part, per the outlet. “The changes in these policies would be problematic for schools and programs of the Archdiocese to fully live out the mission of our Catholic Church.”
To fully live out the mission of our Catholic Church.
Funny how that comes up now. One bit that is confusing is that religious schools often can receive an exemption, should they want one. And it’s not as though there isn't a need here; the Archdiocese serves more than 10 counties in the St. Louis area—about 50,000 students.
Poverty is high in the area, and while some folks will argue parents simply shouldn’t send their kids to religious schools if they don’t want to deal with discrimination, it’s not that easy. Sometimes private schools do offer a better education or opportunities. Sometimes queer people are religious. Sometimes young people already have friends in the school system and don’t want to leave.
It’s complicated.
So, what does the memo offer up as a solution if they do pull out of the free and reduced lunch program? They suggest schools help families who qualified for these benefits to find similar meal services in the area to compensate. This, to me, screams of trying to shift the burden to local food banks.
In the long-term, the goal should absolutely be universal free lunch and breakfast for all students. It saves emotional stress for parents, logistical nightmares, and frankly, labor on behalf of the school. And most importantly, it reduces bullying and anxiety for students—and gets them fed.
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