Should school lunches be free for all children in Massachusetts public schools?
Erin McAleer Project Bread  When federal action enabled an 8-year-old Revere girl to access free food early in the pandemic, her mother felt relief. Subsidized school meals gave her the space to pay for other necessities, like clothing and electricity. For the past 15 months, federal waivers afforded thousands more youths free lunch and breakfast at hundreds of meal sites statewide. As food insecurity levels in Massachusetts have risen  20.6 percent of households with children now meet that definition  disproportionately impacting Black and Latino families, these meals have proven a vital resource. Without state legislation in place, many families will struggle when the federal waivers end after the 2021-2022 school year. Advertisement  School Meals for All legislation would allow every student who wants or needs a school lunch or breakfast to receive it  at no cost to families and without conditions. Just as no student is required to pay fees at public schools to enter a classroom, there will be no financial barrier in the school cafeteria. The legislation would assure this by committing added state dollars to the mostly federally funded free and reduced-price meals program. The potential impact is significant. In 2019, an estimated 26 percent of Massachusetts children experiencing food insecurity did not qualify for free or reduced-price school meals. However, districts that have utilized the school meals for all model  which in Massachusetts include Boston, Springfield, and Worcester  have seen higher participation because barriers like perceived stigma and cost are eliminated. The proposed legislation would increase participation by an estimated 45,000 students and bring relief to those who struggle to afford their meal fee and risk accumulating meal debt. Now more than ever, we need to be intentional about meeting the basic needs of students. Weve seen now that its possible to expand access to school meals. Every child and every community is better off when all students are nourished and ready to learn. Massachusetts has the opportunity to invest in the health and future of our kids and to lead the nation in providing School Meals for All. Those wanting to support the effort can go to feedkidsma.org and ask their legislators to make it a priority. Advertisement      NO  Joe Paru  Chair of Massachusetts Federation of Young Republicans; Foxborough resident  Joe Paru  State lawmakers are considering legislation which would expand the free and reduced-price lunch program in Massachusetts to make lunch free for students of all income levels. In other words, the program would become universal, whether a student needs a free meal or not. Ones financial status would be of no bearing on eligibility. As someone who benefited from receiving free lunch in the Boston and Lynn school systems, I know it plays an important role in the lives of students in need, but I cannot agree with any proposal that would make it universal. The most obvious reason Im against this proposal is the simple fact that the program should be reserved for those who need it most. Rather than expanding the program  and creating universal dependence on it  we should target students who truly need it. If pouring more money into the program is unavoidable, we shouldnt be providing handouts to the wealthy, but diverting those funds to better serve the underserved. Advertisement  In addition to distributing resources to those who dont need them, this proposed expansion does not take into account that school cafeterias are notoriously wasteful. In a recent study conducted by the World Wildlife Fund, it was found that approximately 530,000 tons of food is wasted each year in schools nationwide. That same report estimates the cost of this waste to be $1.7 billion. By expanding the free lunch program, more food will be wasted and costs will increase to astronomical levels. Finally, for a nation with a debt of over $28 trillion and a budget deficit nearing $2 trillion this year, we must become better stewards of our financial future. The cost of federal school meals programs was $14 billion last year but with the pandemic situation improving that number will most certainly increase as schools begin reopening and serving meals to students. The safety net is important, but I cannot support reckless spending and additional waste for wealthy students who have no need for free school meals in Massachusetts or elsewhere. As told to Globe correspondent John Laidler. To suggest a topic, please contact laidler@globe.com. This is not a scientific survey. Please only vote once.