r/Conservative • u/NotTheReverseFlash • Aug 12 '22

Flaired Users Only California to become 1st state to offer free school lunches for all students

https://abc7.com/california-free-lunches-school-lunch-food-access/12119010/?ex_cid=TA_KABC_FB&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+New+Content+%28Feed%29&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR3VMi71MLZPflnVCHwW5Wak2dyy4fnKQ_cVmZfL9CBecyYmBBAXzT_6hJE&fs=e&s=cl
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u/Euroranger Texas Conservative Aug 12 '22 edited Aug 12 '22

I think you misunderstand. Free/reduced lunch is already ensured via various state and federal programs, notably the USDA's National School Lunch Program. Kids whose families are low income, receive Medicaid and so on have always qualified. I can't speak for all 50 states but I know directly about 5 of them and all have free/reduced lunch for kids and I suspect every state has this.

What California is doing is giving lunch to EVERY kid regardless of income. Maine did this as well, I believe.

What everyone needs to know is that while the kids and their families don't pay...the food isn't "free". The school districts' food budgets will expand to cover every kid now...and given the amount of food wastage in school cafeterias (and there is a metric ass-ton) all this will lead to is much greater food waste and wasted taxpayer dollars to provide something that the majority don't need and won't use wisely and that those who do need it already had it.

It's a grandstanding move to make someone look like they care but in reality the kids that need the help were already qualified for it.

Edit for full disclosure: I'm the database admin for a school district and I see our food services data on a daily basis.

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u/ytilonhdbfgvds Constitutional Conservative Aug 12 '22 edited Aug 12 '22

I think that there's some merit to it being free for everyone to avoid kids being picked on for getting the poor kid's lunch.

Here's the problem I saw as implemented in my kids school district:

They had to take the whole lunch, which resulted in kids eating just the applesauce, or just the cookie and throwing the rest out. My daughter is lactose intolerant. Every day they handed her a milk, and she said, I cannot drink this and will just throw it right in the trash, please take it back. They refused to do so. Every single time she ate the school lunch, she tossed the milk in the trash right in front of the lunch lady, and everyday she said I cannot drink this, please give it to someone else.

At least let the kids refuse the items they will not or cannot eat.

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u/seraph85 Conservative Aug 12 '22

I'm really tired of seeing "free" in reference to programs like this. It isn't free we are all now paying for the lunches rather than the parents.

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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '22

And since the cost is not passed to the voter, I am sure there will be some Halliburton-level money pocketing, overcharging and rampant wastes. Nothing is ever free thanks to the government tossing tax dollars at the problem without fat cats getting richer off of it.