The School Lunch Program is used by millions of children each year. It is often the start of every child's day and what keeps them motivated. Some believe that this program is not worth their tax dollars and has no benefit, though this idea undermines the true reality of what the School Lunch Program does. School lunch should be free for all students because it reduces food insecurity, supplies children with the nutrients they need, and gives students access to an equal school environment.
Nine million children experience food insecurity daily in the United States (No Kid Hungry). The School Lunch program negates this food insecurity among children by offering breakfast and lunch to students. The reality of the world is that every night many
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“The Case Against Universal Free Lunch”(AEI) credits the free school lunch debate to move “far beyond debates over welfare into the realm of morality.” Though, the morality of spending tax dollars on free lunch does reflect in its question of morality, on if it is worth the money you spend. That will depend entirely on how much money can be placed on the life and well-being of a child. This article also discusses the stigma surrounding school lunch by first saying that the bullying that comes with not having lunch builds character. Consequently, the article also expresses a fear of the stigma that could arise around kids who bring their lunch from home if school lunch was free for everyone. These two arguments contradict each other, while also being more in favor of those less fortunate taking the brunt end of the stick when preferring that children who don’t have access to food should be scrutinized as default. Lastly, the author describes the state of school lunch from his mother's eyes, who happens to be a teacher. She tells him that she was “unnerved by the entitled attitude her elementary students took to the free school breakfast”(AEI) all of which shows the belief that the children should not be expected to be fed even though this is the responsibility of the adults around them to do so. Ideas like these do not include the opinions of teachers who say the school breakfast motivates their kids throughout the morning and keeps them focused; and that the school lunch keeps their students energized and focused at the end of the day. This might even be why student test scores increase “about 40% larger for students who qualify for reduced-price or free lunch”(Brookings) because they do not sit through the day thinking about when they will get to eat, but rather on the subjects and skills required in their daily learning. School breakfast and lunch provide equal opportunities for all students to actively