An Army veteran, who is now a teacher, is trying to put an end to lunch practices by school districts that take a child’s lunch and throw it away when their accounts don’t have enough money to cover the meal.
Kelvin Holt served in the Army for more than 32 years. When he retired, he went into education.
Last year, he saw a pre-K student try to buy her lunch, and when her account came up short, he said they took the milk from the tray and threw away the rest of the 4-year-old's food, sending her away crying, WFAA reported.
Schools have a policy that children won’t go hungry, but Holt says the way the children are treated when they don’t have enough money for lunch is the issue.
Texas does not spell out rules that prevent kids from being shamed with lower-quality food or being confronted in line in front of other students.
State Rep. Helen Giddings agrees, and introduced House Bill 2159 that forces all schools to have a two -week grace period, allowing students to have hot lunches despite the lack of money in their accounts. Schools are also required to try to make contact with parents that their children didn't have enough money to pay for food, WFAA reported..
Holt says while the bill is a start, he says two weeks isn’t enough time, especially if the family has had a major change like a medical emergency or a loss of a job.
Holt has started a Change.org petition that has more than 110,000 signatures since last year and started a Facebook page called No School Meals Denied to gain support for changing Texas' law.
HB2159 has its first committee hearing Thursday.
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