Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018
Floor Speech
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Mr. Chair, my amendment would protect the National School Lunch Act's current prohibition against discrimination or overt identification of any pupil for their inability to pay for their school lunches, a practice called lunch shaming.
Mr. Chair, I know what it is like to be both hungry and ashamed at lunchtime, because I had no lunch money. I couldn't wait until mock chicken day because that was the day that kids didn't like it and they would let me eat their unwanted food.
I starved at school, and today, as a Member of Congress, I am speaking out against lunch shaming, which should not occur in the United States of America. Certainly lunch shaming should not occur with embarrassing tactics of school administrators, like marking a child with a lunch money stamp or serving them a cold cheese sandwich instead of the nutritious hot meal received by their peers, or, remarkably, denying them food because they have no money.
Denying children food is definitely child abuse and neglect, and the school district is doing this while children are in their custody during school hours. I couldn't do anything about this as a child, but I am proud to be standing here today as a Member of Congress saying that this practice must end.
My amendment simply reinforces current law that states: ``There shall be no physical segregation or any other discrimination against any child eligible for a free lunch or reduced-price lunch, nor shall there be any overt identification of any child by special tokens or tickets or any other means.''
I am just wanting to reinforce what is already on the books. I would urge adoption of this amendment. And if allowed, I think that this body should go further and take up H.R. 2401 sponsored by my colleague, Representative Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, which has been the first State to ban the practice of lunch shaming.
Please vote for this amendment.
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