School meal debt is a growing problem, with 76% of districts reporting they have outstanding debt, according to the School Nutrition Association’s 2016 operation’s report. More recent numbers show school lunch debt climbed from a median of $2,000 to $2,500 per school district between 2016 and 2018.
As districts search for solutions to this national problem, they also face the possibility of lunch shaming children.
Recently, Warwick School District in Rhode Island came under fire for attempting to solve its school lunch problem by providing students who owed money with cold sandwiches in place of hot meals until they paid off their debt.
