Lawmakers reintroduce bill that would ban lunch shaming

Two bills related to school nutrition were recently introduced at the federal level. And at the state level, New Jersey lawmakers have introduced a bill that would provide free school meals to all students in the state. 

Here’s the latest in school nutrition legislation.

Lawmakers have another go at banning lunch shaming 

U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) and U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) have reintroduced the No Shame at School Act. Under the bill, schools would not be allowed to publicly identify or stigmatize students who are behind on meal payments. They would also not be allowed to hire debt collectors to go after families of students who have accumulated negative school meal balances.  

The bill was originally introduced in 2019 and reintroduced again in 2022. 

A handful of states have already passed their own laws banning lunch shaming, including North Dakota and others. States that offer universal free school meals, including Minnesota, have also done away with lunch shaming since they provide all public school students free school meals each day free of charge.  

“No child should have to go through the experience of being shamed at school for an unpaid lunch bill,” said Senator Smith in a statement. “I’m so proud of the work Minnesota has done to address this issue through universal school lunches, but there are too many places around the country where we still see this happening. We need to set our children up for success in school, and making sure kids get the school lunches they need without being made to feel ashamed or embarrassed is an important part of that success.”

Federal bill would make allergy training mandatory for school nutrition professionals

School nutrition workers would be required to undergo food allergy training under a bill reintroduced in the U.S. House. 

Introduced by Congressman Mark DeSaulnier, the Protecting Children with Food Allergies Act would mandate that National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) staff would have to participate in training that would cover how to prevent, identify, and respond to food-related allergic reactions.

In addition, the bill would require the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make food allergy trainings available to nutrition personnel under the Special Milk Program, Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).

“As a senior member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, protecting and supporting students when they are in the care of their schools is among my top priorities, and, with 25% of all first-time allergic reactions happening to children while at school, it’s clear we must do more to keep students safe,” said DeSaulnier in a statement.

The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. 

New Jersey becomes the latest state to introduce a universal free school meals bill 

A group of lawmakers in New Jersey are hoping to bring universal free school meals to students in the state. 

Under A.4680, all public school students in the state would be provided free meals daily at school regardless of their family’s income level. In addition, it would also require schools to set up a breakfast program if they do not have one. 

The bill has been referred to the Assembly Commerce, Economic Development and Agriculture Committee.

Currently, the state provides free meals at school to students who come from families with an annual household income of not more than 224% of the federal poverty level. 

If passed, New Jersey would join a handful of other states who offer universal free school meals to students, including California and Maine.