All schools in New York State have adopted plans to end "meal shaming" of students who do not have money for lunch. This is the latest component of the Governor's "No Student Goes Hungry" program, which addresses food insecurity by expanding access to free breakfast and farm-fresh foods as well as ensuring all students have access to school meals without fear of shame.
The program also includes $1.5 million to expand the Farm-to-School program. To date, all required schools have adopted and submitted a plan to the New York State Education Department that will address how they prohibit meal shaming and how meal debt will be communicated to parents while ensuring every student is still provided a meal without humiliation or shame. All school plans have been posted on the schools' websites.
"No child should ever go hungry - especially at school - and students should never be humiliated or denied a well-rounded meal just because they can't pay," Governor Cuomo said. "This significant milestone in our No Student Goes Hungry Program will ensure all children get a healthy meal in school even if they don't have lunch money and provide a supportive learning environment so every student can succeed."
Meal shaming is a practice in some schools where children are publicly humiliated in front of their peers by adults for not having money for lunch. In many cases, these students are forced to wear a sticker or bracelet, or have their name called over the loud speaker.
In other cases, these students are given alternative, lesser quality lunches, such as a cold cheese sandwich, when other students get hot lunches. In examples from other states, some children are simply being denied food if they cannot pay.
Click here for the full announcement.
Source: The Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
The program also includes $1.5 million to expand the Farm-to-School program. To date, all required schools have adopted and submitted a plan to the New York State Education Department that will address how they prohibit meal shaming and how meal debt will be communicated to parents while ensuring every student is still provided a meal without humiliation or shame. All school plans have been posted on the schools' websites.
"No child should ever go hungry - especially at school - and students should never be humiliated or denied a well-rounded meal just because they can't pay," Governor Cuomo said. "This significant milestone in our No Student Goes Hungry Program will ensure all children get a healthy meal in school even if they don't have lunch money and provide a supportive learning environment so every student can succeed."
Meal shaming is a practice in some schools where children are publicly humiliated in front of their peers by adults for not having money for lunch. In many cases, these students are forced to wear a sticker or bracelet, or have their name called over the loud speaker.
In other cases, these students are given alternative, lesser quality lunches, such as a cold cheese sandwich, when other students get hot lunches. In examples from other states, some children are simply being denied food if they cannot pay.
Click here for the full announcement.
Source: The Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
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