Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has signed a bill into law that seeks to address lunch money problems in Iowa schools. The policy is a response to reports of high levels of lunch debt and the so-called “food shaming” of some students. Senator Herman Quirmbach of Ames says it’s been a problem in his community and “many others.”
Some schools have hung lists in public areas with the names of students with outstanding lunch debt or even forced the students to sit in a separate area or wear wristbands. Some Iowa school districts have tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of unpaid lunch bills. Ottumwa, for example, had nearly 68-thousand dollars in school meal debt in February. The new law will let schools claim lottery winnings or state tax refunds from parents who have school lunch debt. Schools may also accept private donations to cover those meals. Senator Ken Rozenboom of Oskaloosa says schools will be able to use those donations to write-off debt at the end of every year.
The bill cleared the House AND Senate unanimously. The handful of legislators who publicly remarked on the bill made the common point that it’s not the fault of the child if their parent fails to pay for their school lunch.
