School Meal Ordeal & Schools Feed Lunch-less Students

On 9/24/03 I posted a Herald-Tribune article entitled "Local Schools Cut Off (some) Free Lunches" (here) and later that day sent a copy of the comments made here to the articles author.

Following is a Herald-Tribune editorial on the same subject that was published 9/27/03 ("School Meal Ordeal") a follow-up article by the same reporter that was published 10/6/03 ("Schools Feed Lunch-Less Students").

In the comments section of this post I included a letter to the editor I sent yesterday to the Herald-Tribune because of a somewhat misleading quote of me made by the reporter in her 2nd article.

Elected officials usually don't have to fill out a lengthy form when they receive a free lunch or dinner. They should keep that in mind and start looking for ways to simplify the paperwork for the families of schoolchildren who qualify for free or reduced-price meals.

This week, more than 3,000 students in Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties were cut off from the federal meal program because their parents or guardians failed to meet a deadline to submit the necessary forms. Unfortunately, it's becoming a yearly ritual that leaves school officials embarrassed, parents angry, and students hungry.

School officials say they do their best to spread the word about the filing requirement, but every year they have difficulty collecting forms from all participants.

The explanations are plentiful. Sometimes the forms are mailed to an old address. Sometimes parents find the forms, which ask for financial information, too complicated. Sometimes parents face language barriers. And sometimes, no doubt, parents are simply lazy or forgetful.

Whatever the cause, it's ultimately the children who are hurt. And it shouldn't be that way.

This week, teachers, administrators and others provided money and food for students who were cut off. Their efforts are commendable, but all school districts need to develop a safety net to ensure that all children who qualify receive their meals.

Something more than a special leave-no- stomach-rumbling fund is needed, however. Local school officials, who already have a mountain of noninstructional tasks, should continue looking for new ways to contact parents directly and provide help to those who have difficulty with the forms. Maybe school volunteers could help with the task.

Federal officials, for their part, need to streamline the registration forms to make them as simple and accessible as possible.

Make no mistake: The paperwork is necessary to protect taxpayers against fraud and waste. But no taxpayer can be comforted by the thought of needy children being turned away from a lunch line because they lack a government form.

Many children didn't get their free-lunch paperwork in on time, and have been cut off.

More than 3,000 students in Charlotte, Manatee, and Sarasota counties were cut off from the free-lunch program this year because they missed the federal government's deadline for filing paperwork.

Each county handled the fallout differently: Sarasota provided sandwiches and milk; Charlotte billed parents for lunches; Manatee left it to the schools to handle.

But officials in Manatee County, where 1,800 students were cut off, decided they could have done more to make sure students who need free meals get them.

Next year, they plan to use Spanish-language radio and an education campaign to get more people who need free meals to turn in the paperwork on time.

Schools with large Hispanic populations tend to have more trouble getting back the forms.

Although forms are printed in Spanish, some immigrants don't read or write in their native language.

The school lunch forms require a parent's Social Security number, if they have one. And the form says students don't have to be U.S. citizens to qualify for free lunch. Nonetheless, some people are concerned that by omitting the number, they're admitting they aren't citizens.

It's illegal for schools to share that information or to use it for anything other than tracking those who are getting free lunch. But some parents don't turn in the forms because they fear the information will be turned over to immigration officials.

"We try to do everything to calm those fears, but sometimes you can't," said John Atkins Jr., director of food service for Manatee County. Atkins said starting next year he plans to do more to get the word out that the information is confidential.

He said the district will ask Spanish-language radio stations to do public service announcements about the lunch program. He also will visit schools this year to assure parents that their family's citizenship status will remain secret.

Manatee County had fewer than 100 students who qualified for free lunches last year who didn't turn in their forms this year. The district will continue processing the paperwork throughout the school year.

Harllee Middle School in Bradenton had one of the largest number of students who previously had qualified but didn't turn in their forms this year. About 70 percent of the students there typically qualify for free lunch and 23 percent speak only limited English.

So when about 130 students didn't turn in their forms, the school scrambled to find a way to feed them. When the community heard staff members were using their own money to pay for lunches, they responded with donations and gifts of food, said Tanya Burnham, a Harllee parent and substitute teacher.

The Harllee staff also helped students fill out the paperwork so they wouldn't have to rely on donations. Only a few students still need to turn in the forms.

Atkins said Manatee's philosophy has been to leave to the principals the decision of how to feed students. "Rather than having (a policy) for the whole district, each school principal decides what they want to do," he explained.

Because there's no district plan, principals use school accounts or staff members pay to feed students. Several elementary schools have a fund of money raised by the PTA or donated from area businesses, Atkins said. "No one out there has a policy that if you don't have food, you don't eat," he said.

Sarasota and Charlotte counties have district policies. In Charlotte, students can charge their lunch to the school and parents are allowed to pay it back slowly -- as little as a dime a week. In Sarasota, the district foots the bill to give a sandwich and milk to every student who doesn't have money for lunch.

School officials from all three counties said they repeatedly warn parents about the grace period running out for children getting free lunch without their forms. But every year, they say, some parents procrastinate even as the 30 days runs down.

Beverly Girard, Sarasota County's food service director, said she couldn't bear the idea of students going without lunch, but she said she understands why some districts don't cover the cost. "There's a financial loss that we assume," she said.

And for every person who wants the schools to find a way to pay for lunches, there are others who think the schools shouldn't spend taxpayer money that way.

At some point, you can go only so far with these programs, said Jim McNeil, an Englewood resident.

"If I were a parent that was less literate than I am or less educated than I am, and was concerned that my children were being properly fed, I would at least go to someone more literate than I am and say, 'Can you help me out?' rather than blowing the thing off," he said. "I think the fault really belongs with the parent."

Letter to Editor

Suggested letter heading: Fraud/Waste in School Lunch Program?

Dear Sir,

My quote in the "Schools Feed Lunch-Less Students" article (10/6/03) was put in a context that made it misleading. The preceding sentence ( . . . there are others who think schools shouldn't spend tax money that way) made it seem that I oppose the school free-lunch program. In fact I would endorse it, but just for the truly needy.

Per a USA Today article (1/16/03), USDA finds one in five kids get free lunches via fraud, and over $1 billion in taxes goes annually on kids whose parents' incomes exceed qualifying levels. Anecdotal evidence, e.g., parents driving up in very expensive cars to let off kids early for free breakfast (and free lunch) programs, supports this.

We should balance concerns and weed out fraud rather than just enrolling more kids, especially when parents ignore multiple requests to fill out a simple form. Contrary to your articles and editorials (9/24, 9/27, 10/6/03) it's not a complex, lengthy form. It has just nine questions, e.g. what's your income, social security number, etc.; do you get food stamps, etc.

We should also be concerned with overlapping programs; e.g., giving both food stamps and free lunches/breakfasts. While not noted by USA Today, another $1 billion or so may be wasted on duplication. Whoever first said "there's no free lunch" (Will Rogers?) would be amazed.

In any case, your articles/editorials blamed school officials for (temporary) loss of free lunches. You tried to excuse parents by calling the form complex and lengthy and by saying that some are illiterate. Ergo my comment, which in context I now repeat:

"If I were a parent that was less literate than I am or less educated than I am, and was concerned that my children were being properly fed, I would at least go to someone more literate than I am and say, 'Can you help me out?' rather than blowing the thing off. (Therefore) I think the fault really belongs with the parent."

If school-lunch fraud/overlap were eliminated, $1-3 billion more might be available to help the "truly needy" in other ways - or available for tax cuts. But since other school funds depend on free lunch enrollment, school officials may turn a blind eye on, or even encourage fraud. Ergo, another fallacy in faulting them in the recent temporary cut in free lunches.

If one is worried by 3,000 kids temporarily losing out on free lunches, one should also be worried by an even larger number who are fraudulently enrolled, i.e., whose parents effectively steal their lunch money from more-honest taxpayers.

Finally, since you said that many free lunch enrollees are illegal aliens I wonder why we pay to educate and feed citizens of other countries. The key word here is illegal, meaning people who lack sufficient respect for our laws to properly apply for entry to our country and await their turn to come here - as was done legally by most of our ancestors, and by many others today.

Sincerely,

They published the above letter today, with various edits - some minor (e.g., more concisely wording a few points), but some major (r.g., omitting the point re overlap/dupliction between food stamps and the free lunch program; omitting the point re scholl official's incentive to ignore the fraud, and omitting the point re educating and feeding illegal aliens).

Following is the letter as published:

School-lunch fraud is big concern

My words quoted in the "Schools makes sure kids get free lunches" article Monday were put in a misleading context. The preceding sentence ("… there are others who think the schools shouldn't spend taxpayer money that way") made it seem as if I oppose the school free-lunch program. In fact, I would endorse it, but just for the truly needy.

USA Today (Jan. 16) said the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that one in five kids get a free lunch via fraud, and more than $1 billion in taxes is spent annually on kids whose parents' incomes exceed qualifying levels.

We should balance concerns and weed out fraud rather than just enrolling more kids, especially when parents ignore multiple requests to fill out a simple form.

Contrary to your articles and editorials, it's not a complex, lengthy form. It has just nine questions related to income, Social Security number, food stamps, etc. You tried to excuse parents, implying language barriers. Ergo my comment, which in context I now repeat:

"If I were a parent that was less literate than I am or less educated than I am, and was concerned that my children were being properly fed, I would at least go to someone more literate than I am and say, 'Can you help me out?' rather than blowing the thing off. … I think the fault really belongs with the parent."

Since other school funds depend on free-lunch enrollment, school officials may turn a blind eye on fraud.

If one is worried about 3,000 kids temporarily losing out on free lunches, one should also be worried about an even larger number who are fraudulently enrolled, i.e., whose parents effectively steal their lunch money from more-honest taxpayers.

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