Childhood Hunger
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Summary:
New records show that the number of Florida students receiving free and reduced-price lunches has risen sharply during the past year.
May 4
More students need free reduced-price lunches
OrlandoSentinel.com
Denise-Marie Balona
For $2, a student at Keeth Elementary in Winter Springs can get one of the best lunch deals around: pasta shells with meatballs, garlic bread, steamed broccoli, raw baby carrots and a carton of cold milk.
But even a couple of bucks can be tough to come by for tens of thousands of parents in Central Florida and around the state.
New records show that the number of Florida students receiving free and reduced-price lunches — a national indicator of poverty — has risen sharply during the past year. At Keeth in Seminole County, one of the wealthiest parts of the region, about one in three children gets help paying for cafeteria meals. Just five years ago, one in 10 did.
Educators, lawmakers and scholars mostly blame the economy, which has handed public schools yet another challenge.
Who gets a free lunch?
Fifty-two percent of Florida children qualify for the federally funded National School Lunch program.
More than 42% of students at each school receive free lunches.
About 10% pay 40 cents.
The average cost of a school lunch in Florida is $1.97.
How does increased participation affect schools?
Higher poverty levels mean pressure on school cafeteria workers to make more breakfasts and lunches. Many schools have opened food pantries and clothing closets, too.
Also, more kids are coming to class without paper and pencils, forcing teachers and other students to pick up the slack.
How are children affected?
Poverty can affect a kid’s schoolwork. A boy with a growling tummy or a girl with a toothache will have trouble focusing. A stressful home life — for example, if Dad lost his job or the family is moving a lot — exacerbates the situation. And working parents often don’t have as much time to help with schoolwork. Discipline problems at school may start to rise because children with stressful home lives often act out.
Why should we care?
It’s costing public schools, which already are struggling with funding cuts, more money to make meals. At the same time, the money the federal government sends districts to provide meals often doesn’t cover the full cost. In Seminole, schools spent $2.63 per meal last year. The federal government pays $2.57 for each free meal. Seminole expects to lose about $300,000 this year because of that discrepancy. Some districts, including Orange, try to generate more money by charging extra to students whose families can afford to buy their lunches.
What are the other effects of children becoming poorer?
Some kids can no longer afford field trips and travel for academic competitions. Mike Armbruster, the principal at Ocoee High, has seen a huge drop in students buying class rings, senior announcements and other extras. He also has watched campus crime grow — especially theft.
What else could account for the free-lunch increase?
Many schools, keenly aware of the financial troubles facing their communities, are marketing the free-lunch program better. Some high schools urge students to take advantage of it because those who qualify for free or low-cost meals also receive waivers to take college-entrance exams such as the SAT for free.
School-zoning changes may have an effect, too. Several years ago, attendance zones shifted for a number of Seminole elementary schools. That probably accounts for some of the increase in poor children at Keeth Elementary in Winter Springs, the principal said.
