Thanks to the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010, students in the Missouri and Kansas school districts of Kansas City and Hickman Mills are receiving free school lunches. Of the estimated 18,000 students within the Kansas City school district, 99 percent qualify for free or reduced lunches.
According to EducationNews.org, 85 percent of Hickman Mills students qualify as well. This program strives to get lunches to all children. This way, families who truly need assistance will receive the lunches in a discreet way.
"Our policy has been to make sure everyone eats and then try to collect from parents," said Leah Schmidt, director of nutrition services for Hickman Mills. "We've had some children with $200 or more (past due) on their accounts."
Healthy lunches, the article said, have been proven to reduce school absences and increase academic performance. The USDA reports that one in 10 households within Kansas and Missouri are considered to be "food insecure," meaning they live in conditions where meals aren't consistently eaten.
Read the full story.
Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor
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