New Law Makes Lunchrooms Shame-Free Zones

Some good school equity news came out of New Mexico last week: Gov. Susana Martinez put her signature on the Hunger-Free Students’ Bill of Rights. This piece of legislation holds schools that receive federal subsidies accountable for providing respectful, equitable lunchroom experiences for all students, even those who may be short on cash or carrying a balance on their lunch account.

The new law is a direct response to reports of lunchroom practices that shame students and draw attention to their situation. Some examples include:

• forcing students who don’t have lunch money to wear a wristband;
• requiring them to work in the lunchroom, wiping tables, mopping floors, etc.;
• throwing away the hot lunch option for students who can’t pay and giving them sandwiches and fruit instead. 

In every case, the students involved are stigmatized or punished for circumstances that are more than likely out of their control (family cash flow difficulties, scheduling mishaps, etc.). And, given that students widely report the cafeteria as one of the least-safe places in schools, such experiences can make students vulnerable to bullying and discourage them from eating lunch at all. 

Meal debt is not only hard on the kids who come up short at lunch time; it is often heartbreaking for school staff who would rather pay for a child’s meal out of their own pockets than humiliate them in front of their peers or see them go hungry. 

Across the country, many school staff are quick to say that the motives behind practices for overdue fees or insufficient funds aren’t malevolent. They note that the loss of revenue that occurs when students don’t pay for their lunches can be an accounting nightmare for districts that must make up for those lost dollars out of other revenue streams. The New Mexico law still allows schools to attempt to collect funds from students’ families, but limits the visible, in-school consequences that stigmatize students.

Lunchroom stigma isn’t only an issue for kids paying for school lunch; it can also harm those who qualify for free-and-reduced lunch. As reported by TT in the past, school lunch practices that identify free-lunch recipients (via different colored tickets or entirely separate meals or lines) can also discourage kids from eating at school for fear their low-income status will make them easy targets.

Educators who care about equity would do well to spend some time in the lunchroom. What can your school take away from this legislative first?

van der Valk is the deputy director for Teaching Tolerance