June 30th, 2022 is the last day that students across Georgia and the United States will receive free lunch. Free lunch waivers were distributed at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 and it was a big help to families struggling during the pandemic. These waivers offered one less headache to families dealing with the “new norms” of COVID. This bipartisan initiative began with the Trump administration and was extended through the Biden Administration. However, despite initial support from both sides, it seems like republican sympathy has ended.

The reason The Trump and Biden Administrations allowed free lunch

Republicans and Democrats RARELY agree on anything however during the pandemic, BOTH administrations agreed on this topic because it made sense to help people during this time of economic despair for working class individuals. During the pandemic when many  Americans couldn’t go to work and during a time full of so much uncertainty, one thing that could be done was to feed students for free. Both parties agreed that we couldn’t let our children go hungry. As a result of their efforts, the free lunch program was a success. That’s why Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced the Universal School Meals Program Act of 2021. He and other democrats like Sen. Raphael Warnock saw just how beneficial the free meal program was to all students and they want to make free school meals in the US permanent. Some Republican senators on the other hand believe this legislation is a giveaway to the well-off. They say this bill works for the wealthy. Opponents say that, but don’t consider the fact that the average cutoff for free lunch is between $22K-50K a year depending on family size. If they assume someone who makes slightly above that is wealthy then they don’t live in the 21st century. Also, let’s be honest real WEALTHY kids aren’t going to public school, to begin with. 

The pandemic is pretty much over in their eyes of the opponents of this legislation even though some schools are just now lifting mask mandates. Mitch McConnell promptly stated NO when asked to just EXTEND the waiver on free lunch. Some republicans feel like enough is enough. But is it really enough? Is it really time?

With COVID cases on the rise, gas being higher than ever, a housing shortage, rising rent costs, and inflation going through the roof, a little free lunch wouldn’t hurt. The cost of groceries is hurting the wallets of all Americans, not just those close to poverty. Did these republican lawmakers cut the cord too soon? Yes, the circumstances aren’t close to being the same as they were in 2020, but some could say we are in our early stages. A lot is going on still and as much as we want to be back to normal we aren’t yet. No one really knows what’s going to happen next.

Impact on Georgia

You might be wondering, how does this law impact Georgians? 37.8% of students in Gwinnett are eligible for free lunch, 29% in Cobb and 33% in Fulton just to name a few. Remember, free/reduced lunch is only based on family size and income. They don’t take into account Georgians who make ABOVE the limit that might still need assistance. 

Let’s also mention the 16.8% of Georgians on food stamps and the 83.2% that wish they had some. It’s clear more people in our state need more help than some legislators are willing to recognize. These elected officials seem to only be looking at the numbers and ignoring the fact that these are real people. Georgia is one of the hardest-hit states when it comes to a rise in housing costs. Gwinnett is even giving teachers $2000 incentives just so they will CONTINUE teaching. We obviously are still healing from the pandemic. Georgians deserve one less headache.

The government’s obligation to our children

Furthermore, let’s think about the overall morality of the situation. Is the state of Georgia obligated to feed our children for free?  Not “would it be nice”, but don’t they have a responsibility to do so? Think about it, by LAW they MAKE our children go to school. It’s not voluntary, you have to take them there. Your child HAS to be in that building for 8 hours. So if they are going to make your child be there for that long shouldn’t they at least feed them? Imagine Grandma demanding to spend time with her grandbabies just to turn around and ask your 8-year-old to cough up 2.75 for the grilled cheese and tomato soup she made. 

Despite the national law, states like California and Maine will continue to give their students free lunch. 

Is making students pay for lunch moral, to begin with?

Obligation aside, let’s also talk about the food kids are being served in school. Many students don’t like the food they eat in school. School cafeteria food is notorious for being subpar. So not only are students paying for lunch, but they have to pay for food that is known for being lower quality? If your job offered you an oddly warm baloney sandwich, pink milk, and an apple, you wouldn’t eat there, as a matter of fact, you’d probably demand better food. If you wouldn’t pay for mystery meat and our students shouldn’t either.

Overall our children deserve better. When the Children’s Aid Society of New York launched the first school lunch program back in1853 those meals were made by dedicated mothers who planned and prepared everything. And the meat and milk were sourced from local farms that had a lot of surpluses. They weren’t given cooperation in making reheated food. School lunch was made to feed malnourished children and if we think schools are helping starving kids by giving them food we wouldn’t eat we are dead wrong. 

But you can’t blame the lunch lady. The fact is a lot of the food served in cafeterias today is the product of greed. A lot of the food is made by companies and these companies give incentives to schools to serve their food. They don’t do it because they love your children, they do it because schools are a market. Lunch ladies care but billionaires don’t!

At the end of the day

With the new struggles Georgians are facing, maybe it is time to help the people out. Perhaps it is time to hear the voices of the teachers, parents, school staff, and students. Enough is not enough, Georgians deserve more and we can start by doing right by our children.