Opinion: Universal free lunches for school children should be a human right

For around six months, I would let an evening phone call go to voicemail every weekday.

It was the school district with their daily,
automated reminder that we owed money for our kids’ school lunches.

I’ll admit to a bit of deviancy here. I had and have the money to pay for their lunches. We had simply forgotten to put money in their accounts at one point in time, and our balance was maybe $10 overdrawn.

So, why not pay that meager balance and stop the phone calls?

It’s a matter of principle, and it comes amid what I consider to be an unacceptable state of affairs in Missouri and this country when it comes to basic necessities – for children, no less.

Perhaps naively, I imagine to myself that my refusal to pay a balance for school lunches will be a noticeable protest in a way that results in change over time.

Regardless, the school semester ended, and the phone calls stopped.

I probably sound jaded and immature, but I’ve got a bad taste in my mouth.

It’s likely because news stories about children paying off other kids’ school lunch debt are fairly regular and often presented in a motivational way. There’s nothing motivational about a child working to pay off the debt of another child. There’s only hopelessness and a feeling like the adults of this country are failing our kids.

It’s simply wrong and unethical for food to be a paid service at schools, when kids are required by law to be there.

There was a time during the COVID-19 pandemic that federal government dollars covered meals for school children. But that policy ended with the pandemic, bringing to light once again the inequities this issue causes and showing kids early how our system can harm people based on class.

Thankfully, our state government appears to be warming to the idea of free lunches for children, regardless of their parents’ income status.

State Rep. Brian Seitz, R-Branson, is among legislators who have signaled support for universal free lunches, and he even sponsored legislation. However, his bill did not make it past committee in the legislative session earlier this year, according to House.mo.gov.

I applaud Seitz and others for their work on this issue. We also should celebrate the handful of states that either have passed or are in the process of passing legislation to provide free lunches. According to online reports, less than 10 states have passed legislation, including Missouri neighbor Illinois.

Beyond this being a question of ethics, there are clear benefits to programs that ensure children eat during the school day.

Take it from the Food Research & Action Center, a Washington, D.C., organization that works to improve the well-being of U.S. residents when it comes to food, especially when poverty is involved.

“School lunch is critical to student health and well-being, especially for low-income students — and ensures that students have nutrition they need throughout the day to learn,” FRAC officials say on the organization’s website. “Research shows that receiving free or reduced-price school lunches reduces food insecurity, obesity rates and poor health.”

One could argue that free food should be a basic human right funded by taxes, but starting with children at school feels like a safer bet. It should go beyond just children whose parents make lower wages.

To that end, I would ask legislators and state officials to use their conscience on this issue.

What will it take?

Do we need to approve a new tax so that children can eat for free at schools? Do we need to divert budget funds?

Whatever it is, it doesn’t feel all that controversial. Give us a tax ballot issue. Divert the necessary budget funds.

This is about as simple as it gets.

Are we really the state, are we really the country, that won’t pay for kids’ lunches? 

Universal free lunches for school children are a human rights issue, and legislation tackling this problem should recognize its importance. This feels like such an easy one to get right. We should be doing better.

Springfield Business Journal Digital Editor Geoff Pickle can be reached at gpickle@sbj.net.