Finally, all students in the Baltimore Public Schools are now equal in the place where it probably matters to the most students. All school meals are now provided free to all students. Forget your lunch money? Does not matter in Baltimore. You still get to eat lunch. No student needs to end the day hungry.
Yesterday evening there was a breaking news alert in my email from the Baltimore Sun. A city that has recently been in the news for many of its problems, has become a leader in solving one of those problems. Today there was a longer article. Click Here For Today's Article This article mentions that the legislature in Maryland recently passed a law that allows school districts in Maryland to take advantage of a federal program if more than 40 % of the district's school children are eligible for free or reduced price lunch. The district saves money by not having to have parents fill out forms for free or reduced price lunch and not having to keep track of which students have paid how much, as well as making sure that no student misses lunch, and no student needs to miss breakfast. The district is also eligible for additional funds! Since the average district has around 60 % of the students eligible for free or reduced price lunch, many districts are eligible under federal guidelines, although state legislatures may need to pass enabling legislation before the schools can benefit from this federal program.
Spread the word. Better yet, urge your state legislature to pass the necessary legislation and urge your school district to adopt the same policy that Baltimore did if the district is eligible. Hunger interferes with learning, and handicaps the next generation. Schools that feed their children work better for the children, which is better for our country. A change we can all believe in.