Free Breakfast/Lunch for All Students

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So when does every kid in Fairfax county get this?

I take 25 students to lunch. On a typical day I'd say 2 to 4 eat school lunch. Even if it was free I doubt many more than that would eat school lunch.

[Anonymous]

School lunch is awful. If people are going to spend taxpayers money on feeding kids, make sure it's nutritious and edible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So when does every kid in Fairfax county get this?

I take 25 students to lunch. On a typical day I'd say 2 to 4 eat school lunch. Even if it was free I doubt many more than that would eat school lunch.

Not true. We are in Vienna and a lot of kids buy lunch including mine. It’s convenient. Our school is not on that list and does not need to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not in VA but Baltimore City schools decided to do this for all schools a few years ago. All students in all school receive free breakfast and lunch. It makes the breakfast and lunch lines move a lot faster since students no longer have to enter their PIN number at the end of the line.

Yeah, and it’s really improved the schools in Baltimore, hasn’t it? Bet it will only accelerate the flight of non-FARMS families from those schools.

Wow, you are pretty heartless. So we should only feed kids on the taxpayer's dime IF it increases test scores?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So there is no percentage of poor kids where the free food is automatic? How do they decide which schools qualify?

Instead of having students fill out forms and qualify individually, schools can apply for to have the whole school qualify based on the median income in the community. It's much more efficient, in predominantly low income areas it's cheaper for the fed to just feed the kids who aren't low-income rather than doing all the compliance to make sure the schools are submitting paperwork properly.

+1

[Anonymous]

My DS was at one of those of schools on the list (he's now in middle school.) They have been doing free breakfast for all students for four years. Two students would go to the cafeteria every morning and bring back a large box with enough breakfast for the entire class. A typical breakfast would be a bagel, a piece of fruit and a carton of milk or OJ. My DS is no longer at the elementary school so I don't know if they now get free lunch. The school is one of the summer lunch locations. Every weekday during the summer, any child under the age of 18, even those who do not attend FCPS schools, can stop by and get a free lunch. The first year they did the free summer lunch, we did stop by and eat there just to check it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So when does every kid in Fairfax county get this?

I take 25 students to lunch. On a typical day I'd say 2 to 4 eat school lunch. Even if it was free I doubt many more than that would eat school lunch.

Not true. We are in Vienna and a lot of kids buy lunch including mine. It’s convenient. Our school is not on that list and does not need to be.

How is what I wrote not true? My post was about my experience at my school, not your school in Vienna. I take them to lunch every day. On average 2-4 will eat school lunch and I’d bet most would still pack even if it was free.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not in VA but Baltimore City schools decided to do this for all schools a few years ago. All students in all school receive free breakfast and lunch. It makes the breakfast and lunch lines move a lot faster since students no longer have to enter their PIN number at the end of the line.

Yeah, and it’s really improved the schools in Baltimore, hasn’t it? Bet it will only accelerate the flight of non-FARMS families from those schools.

Wow, you are pretty heartless. So we should only feed kids on the taxpayer's dime IF it increases test scores?

Giving even more free stuff to families in those areas and having the schools show up as 100% FARMS on state reports certainly won’t improve those neighborhoods. Teaching personal responsibility might.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not in VA but Baltimore City schools decided to do this for all schools a few years ago. All students in all school receive free breakfast and lunch. It makes the breakfast and lunch lines move a lot faster since students no longer have to enter their PIN number at the end of the line.

Yeah, and it’s really improved the schools in Baltimore, hasn’t it? Bet it will only accelerate the flight of non-FARMS families from those schools.

Wow, you are pretty heartless. So we should only feed kids on the taxpayer's dime IF it increases test scores?

Giving even more free stuff to families in those areas and having the schools show up as 100% FARMS on state reports certainly won’t improve those neighborhoods. Teaching personal responsibility might.

NP. Free stuff? This is food for kids who might be hungry. SMH at people who want to punish children no matter what.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FARMS or not, your kids now get free meals at these schools:

Annandale Terrace Elementary School (Annandale)
Bailey’s Elementary School (Justice)
Bailey’s Upper Elementary School (Justice)
Braddock Elementary School (Annandale)
Crestwood Elementary School (Lee)
Dogwood Elementary School (South Lakes)
Garfield Elementary School (Lee)
Glen Forest Elementary School (Justice)
Graham Road Elementary School (Falls Church)
Groveton Elementary School (West Potomac)
Hutchison Elementary School (Herndon)
Hybla Valley Elementary School (West Potomac)
Lynbrook Elementary School (Lee)
Mount Vernon Woods Elementary School (Mount Vernon)
Parklawn Elementary School (Justice/Annandale)
Riverside Elementary School (Mount Vernon)
Weyanoke Elementary School (Annandale)
Woodburn Elementary School (Falls Church)
Woodley Hills Elementary School (Mount Vernon)

I am not seeing Franklin Sherman, Spring Hill, Churchill, Kent Garden and Chesterbrook ES on the list. Any reasons why?

+1

Or Wolf trap, Colvin run, West briar, Louise archer, Vienna, Oakton, or Flint Hill

^^you are too rich to have a threshold that qualifies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not in VA but Baltimore City schools decided to do this for all schools a few years ago. All students in all school receive free breakfast and lunch. It makes the breakfast and lunch lines move a lot faster since students no longer have to enter their PIN number at the end of the line.

Yeah, and it’s really improved the schools in Baltimore, hasn’t it? Bet it will only accelerate the flight of non-FARMS families from those schools.

Wow, you are pretty heartless. So we should only feed kids on the taxpayer's dime IF it increases test scores?

Giving even more free stuff to families in those areas and having the schools show up as 100% FARMS on state reports certainly won’t improve those neighborhoods. Teaching personal responsibility might.

NP. Free stuff? This is food for kids who might be hungry. SMH at people who want to punish children no matter what.

Those kids were already getting FARMS and many other subsidies. This means that all the kids at those schools will get free meals with no income verification at all.

You're delusional if you don't think it's not going to further stigmatize those communities when the school show up as 100% FARMS on state reports in the future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not in VA but Baltimore City schools decided to do this for all schools a few years ago. All students in all school receive free breakfast and lunch. It makes the breakfast and lunch lines move a lot faster since students no longer have to enter their PIN number at the end of the line.

Yeah, and it’s really improved the schools in Baltimore, hasn’t it? Bet it will only accelerate the flight of non-FARMS families from those schools.

Wow, you are pretty heartless. So we should only feed kids on the taxpayer's dime IF it increases test scores?

Giving even more free stuff to families in those areas and having the schools show up as 100% FARMS on state reports certainly won’t improve those neighborhoods. Teaching personal responsibility might.

NP. Free stuff? This is food for kids who might be hungry. SMH at people who want to punish children no matter what.

Those kids were already getting FARMS and many other subsidies. This means that all the kids at those schools will get free meals with no income verification at all.

You're delusional if you don't think it's not going to further stigmatize those communities when the school show up as 100% FARMS on state reports in the future.

As was explained upthread, that was an administrative decision the school made and the schools qualify, so they did it. You can take it up with administrators if you dislike this decision and think your children are going to be stimatized because a school is rated this way. Facts are facts and that is the wealth of the community. You could move. I take issue more with you throwing around "free stuff", like we would rather these children go hungry.

[Anonymous]

The schools will not show up as 100% FARMS. Their FARMS rate will be the same as it would be otherwise. Community eligibility is a federal program whereby schools with a certain percentage of students automatically qualifying for free lunch (qualifying because they receive some other government benefits, not because they submitted the free/reduced lunch paperwork) can give free lunch for all students.

See https://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/community-eligibility-provision-resource-center for more information.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not in VA but Baltimore City schools decided to do this for all schools a few years ago. All students in all school receive free breakfast and lunch. It makes the breakfast and lunch lines move a lot faster since students no longer have to enter their PIN number at the end of the line.

Yeah, and it’s really improved the schools in Baltimore, hasn’t it? Bet it will only accelerate the flight of non-FARMS families from those schools.

Wow, you are pretty heartless. So we should only feed kids on the taxpayer's dime IF it increases test scores?

Giving even more free stuff to families in those areas and having the schools show up as 100% FARMS on state reports certainly won’t improve those neighborhoods. Teaching personal responsibility might.

NP. Free stuff? This is food for kids who might be hungry. SMH at people who want to punish children no matter what.

Those kids were already getting FARMS and many other subsidies. This means that all the kids at those schools will get free meals with no income verification at all.

You're delusional if you don't think it's not going to further stigmatize those communities when the school show up as 100% FARMS on state reports in the future.

As was explained upthread, that was an administrative decision the school made and the schools qualify, so they did it. You can take it up with administrators if you dislike this decision and think your children are going to be stimatized because a school is rated this way. Facts are facts and that is the wealth of the community. You could move. I take issue more with you throwing around "free stuff", like we would rather these children go hungry.

Tell you what. Why don't you write some extra big checks when you pay your taxes next year, and that way those of us who are trying to save for retirement and take care of our own kids won't have to work until we're 75.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not in VA but Baltimore City schools decided to do this for all schools a few years ago. All students in all school receive free breakfast and lunch. It makes the breakfast and lunch lines move a lot faster since students no longer have to enter their PIN number at the end of the line.

Yeah, and it’s really improved the schools in Baltimore, hasn’t it? Bet it will only accelerate the flight of non-FARMS families from those schools.

Wow, you are pretty heartless. So we should only feed kids on the taxpayer's dime IF it increases test scores?

Giving even more free stuff to families in those areas and having the schools show up as 100% FARMS on state reports certainly won’t improve those neighborhoods. Teaching personal responsibility might.

NP. Free stuff? This is food for kids who might be hungry. SMH at people who want to punish children no matter what.

hyperbolic. Kids who might be hungry are getting fed under the current program without giving out free food to those who don't need it.