Free Breakfast/Lunch for All Students

[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.

Why in the world would free lunch be the thing that pushes a family to leave? This makes no sense.

[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?

It is funny you should say that b/c in APS all kids get free breakfast (and I think lunch) but only during the SOLs and only in grades 3+.
Clearly they understand the importance feeding all kids but only when test scores and school funding are in play.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You are just an awful person. Who begrudges a hungry child food?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

As pointed out up thread, the feds made this change because it actually cheaper to provide meals to all kids in majority low income communities than to pay someone to do all the paperwork associated with establishing an individual benefit. So if you prefer that money go to pay an administrative salary vs give a middle class kid a meal, that's fine, but be honest that this isn't about free meals vs saving tax dollars.

[Anonymous]

I wish they'd stop calling it free. It's not free. It's taxpayer funded.

It's a good part of the social safety net in many cases, but they should be honest with their words.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wish they'd stop calling it free. It's not free. It's taxpayer funded.

It's a good part of the social safety net in many cases, but they should be honest with their words.

They're in training for "free" college

[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.

Why in the world would free lunch be the thing that pushes a family to leave? This makes no sense.

Because FARMS is an indicator of poor schools (and usually low test scores due to the poor students).

I've even had a teacher tell me to avoid schools with high FARMs rates. the other poster is right. I think non-FARMs families will move out before their schools and property values start to tank.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a male ES teacher and could easily find 12 moms who are calendar worthy. It should be just as easy to pick out the dads.

omg, I just died laughing when I got to this post. Thanks for breaking up my binge reading of this thread by lightening the mood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

As pointed out up thread, the feds made this change because it actually cheaper to provide meals to all kids in majority low income communities than to pay someone to do all the paperwork associated with establishing an individual benefit. So if you prefer that money go to pay an administrative salary vs give a middle class kid a meal, that's fine, but be honest that this isn't about free meals vs saving tax dollars.

I’m not convinced that is the case, knowing that there are feds who’d happily have taxpayers pay the full tab, especially if it means they have less work, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I actually think Woodburn is a typo and it should be Woodlawn in Alexandria.

Pretty sure it is actually Woodburn. We got a notice home about it. I, too, was surprised. This is our first year here though, so I don’t know all the areas zoned for the school. Thus far we love our neighborhood AND the school. We don’t need the free meals, but I am glad the kids that do are getting them.

Not a typo. Title 1 school with tremendous poverty. Changed to a "Fine and Communicative Arts" designated school. What that is, I haven't a clue but perhaps allowed the school to pull in from different boundaries. Truly at border of Falls Church and Annandale. Lots of ESOL, mostly Hispanic.

[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.

What personal responsibility? Two people working full time jobs together make less than $30K a year. It's ridiculous to say that two people who work full time jobs a)are being irresponsible if they have a kid or b) shoudn't be allowed to live in metro areas if it means they require taxpayer support. We don't want to live in a third world country, which is what we're going to be if we have the 1% and everyone else.

[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.

What personal responsibility? Two people working full time jobs together make less than $30K a year. It's ridiculous to say that two people who work full time jobs a)are being irresponsible if they have a kid or b) shoudn't be allowed to live in metro areas if it means they require taxpayer support. We don't want to live in a third world country, which is what we're going to be if we have the 1% and everyone else.

I meant working full time minimum wage jobs, will together make less than $30K a year.

[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.

Wrong--kids still enter a pin, (1) because USDA wants to track the use; and (2) because add-ons are not free (popcorn, pretzels, cookies, etc.)

I know this isn't true for the free breakfast. They just bring a cart of food to the classroom. No one enters a pin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s the farms cutoff for this?

There isn’t one.
All kids eat free.

That is great.

There is a required minimum percentage of FARMS for having the program implemented, but once the program is implemented all kids eat 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.

Wrong--kids still enter a pin, (1) because USDA wants to track the use; and (2) because add-ons are not free (popcorn, pretzels, cookies, etc.)

I know this isn't true for the free breakfast. They just bring a cart of food to the classroom. No one enters a pin.

I think this is true, although I've noticed that MySchoolBucks still seems to know whether or not my daughter actually eats the breakfast (not sure how?). The days she eats breakfast at home it's not listed on her account. The days she eats in her classroom it shows breakfast with a $0 charge.