New Mexico bans "Lunch shaming"

[Farnhamia]

New Mexico is the first state in the United States to make it expressly illegal to single out or humiliate a child who cannot pay for his or her lunch at school.


Gov. Susana Martinez (R) signed The Hunger-Free Students’ Bill of Rights into law on Thursday, The New York Times reports. The bill is aimed at ending the practice of “lunch shaming.” It also outlines procedures for schools to collect debts and helps families in signing up for federal free or reduced-price meal assistance

All I can say is It's far too cruel to take away a child's food because their parents can't afford to pay. I have a radical idea though, how about we make all school lunches free? Can't study, or do pretty much anything on an empty stomach. And it would insure kids get at least one healthy meal. What say you NSG?

[Maichuko]

Thats Great news!

[Ole Cascadia]

Its about time. And I agree with the lunches.

[Saiwania]

I don't think this can effectively be enforced and thus I'm against this. Enduring simple bullying builds character and lunch is optional. I didn't have it for nearly the entire duration of K-12. So far as lunch being the only source of food for some children, give me a break. Even the lowest incomes can afford food, that is part of the point of minimum wage. It is almost a given that if a child isn't getting any food at home, that they'd eventually wind up getting removed from that home by the state.

[Arumbia67]

I don't think this can effectively be enforced and thus I'm against this. Enduring simple bullying builds character and lunch is optional. I didn't have it for nearly the entire duration of K-12. So far as lunch being the only source of food for some children, give me a break. Even the lowest incomes can afford food, that is part of the point of minimum wage. It is almost a given that if a child isn't getting any food at home, that they'd eventually wind up getting removed from that home by the state.

I'm fairly certain I specified healthy food. And no, even if a child is not getting fed it doesn't always mean they'll be removed. CPS is notoriously bad at their job. Especially if the abusive parent is a woman. Too busy harassing people who take their kids camping, or let them walk home from school.

[Lady Scylla]

New Mexico is the first state in the United States to make it expressly illegal to single out or humiliate a child who cannot pay for his or her lunch at school.


Gov. Susana Martinez (R) signed The Hunger-Free Students’ Bill of Rights into law on Thursday, The New York Times reports. The bill is aimed at ending the practice of “lunch shaming.” It also outlines procedures for schools to collect debts and helps families in signing up for federal free or reduced-price meal assistance

All I can say is It's far too cruel to take away a child's food because their parents can't afford to pay. I have a radical idea though, how about we make all school lunches free? Can't study, or do pretty much anything on an empty stomach. And it would insure kids get at least one healthy meal. What say you NSG?

That's good news. If I didn't have money, they'd take mine away and give me a 'sandwich' consisting of cold bread, and a slice of mouldy cheese in the middle. And people wonder why I weighed like 90 pounds.

[Vassenor]

Enduring simple bullying builds character

I can pretty much guarantee that anyone who claims something like this has almost never actually been bullied in school.

[New haven america]

Enduring simple bullying builds character.

Or leaves psychological scars that never heal.

Ever

[Valyrian Freeholds]

Enduring simple bullying builds character .

yeah a lot of kids who've been kicked, punched or continually harassed grow up to be such well adjusted, totally not psychologically disturbed people

[Risottia]

I have a radical idea though, how about we make all school lunches free? Can't study, or do pretty much anything on an empty stomach. And it would insure kids get at least one healthy meal. What say you NSG?

No.
Have a progressive system with pre-paid lunch tickets instead. The kids from lowest-income families get them for free. Kids from low-income get a discount, and kids from middle-to-high income pay for the full price. But no money at school: only pre-paid tickets.

[Emericia]

Enduring simple bullying builds character

A can assure you bullying isn't nearly as fun as it sounds. Why must there always be someone to appose everything that exists?

Enduring simple bullying builds character.

Or leaves psychological scars that never heal.

Ever

A can attest to this, somebody I know is in his 40's and still thinks about getting back at them.

I have a radical idea though, how about we make all school lunches free? Can't study, or do pretty much anything on an empty stomach. And it would insure kids get at least one healthy meal. What say you NSG?

No.
Have a progressive system with pre-paid lunch tickets instead. The kids from lowest-income families get them for free. Kids from low-income get a discount, and kids from middle-to-high income pay for the full price. But no money at school: only pre-paid tickets.

Thats a good idea.

[USS Monitor]

I don't think this can effectively be enforced and thus I'm against this. Enduring simple bullying builds character and lunch is optional. I didn't have it for nearly the entire duration of K-12. So far as lunch being the only source of food for some children, give me a break. Even the lowest incomes can afford food, that is part of the point of minimum wage. It is almost a given that if a child isn't getting any food at home, that they'd eventually wind up getting removed from that home by the state.

I'm fairly certain I specified healthy food. And no, even if a child is not getting fed it doesn't always mean they'll be removed. CPS is notoriously bad at their job. Especially if the abusive parent is a woman. Too busy harassing people who take their kids camping, or let them walk home from school.

I'm not convinced school lunches qualify as healthy. I've heard they cut down on the greasiness as part of an effort to reduce childhood obesity, but I am still skeptical of the idea that the new lunches are actually healthy. You've still got tight budgets and people making decisions about food that they probably won't be eating themselves. It's easy to cut corners when you're not the one who has to eat the food.

OTOH it is still food and will at least keep the kid from being too hungry during their afternoon classes.

[New haven america]

Enduring simple bullying builds character

1.I can assure you bullying isn't nearly as fun as it sounds. Why must there always be someone to appose everything that exists?

Or leaves psychological scars that never heal.

Ever

I can attest to this, somebody I know is in his 40's and still thinks about getting back at them.

1. Because they have nothing better to do.
2. I even came up with a fun song about this: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words leave psychological wounds that never heal~"

[USS Monitor]

I have a radical idea though, how about we make all school lunches free? Can't study, or do pretty much anything on an empty stomach. And it would insure kids get at least one healthy meal. What say you NSG?

No.
Have a progressive system with pre-paid lunch tickets instead. The kids from lowest-income families get them for free. Kids from low-income get a discount, and kids from middle-to-high income pay for the full price. But no money at school: only pre-paid tickets.

That would still come with a bunch of administrative costs to figure out who pays how much for their tickets. It's inefficient to have that bureaucracy.

[Emericia]

1.I can assure you bullying isn't nearly as fun as it sounds. Why must there always be someone to appose everything that exists?

I can attest to this, somebody I know is in his 40's and still thinks about getting back at them.

2. Because they have nothing better to do.
2. I even came up with a fun song about this: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words leave psychological wounds that never heal~"

I mean for the victim.

[Risottia]

I'm not convinced school lunches qualify as healthy.

That's another issue. One that needs to be addressed, sharpish.

Note that I'm not advocating removing stuff like chips, hamburgers or pizza from the school lunch. Just don't make them available every day. Maybe just once per week.

[Risottia]

No.
Have a progressive system with pre-paid lunch tickets instead. The kids from lowest-income families get them for free. Kids from low-income get a discount, and kids from middle-to-high income pay for the full price. But no money at school: only pre-paid tickets.

That would still come with a bunch of administrative costs to figure out who pays how much for their tickets. It's inefficient to have that bureaucracy.

I guess the families applying for free or discounted lunch can just show the school their tax forms. Not a lot of bureaucracy, and you can do it over the internet nowadays.

[Arridian Islands]

But what is the punishment? How would that be enforced?

[Frank Zipper]

Personally I don't want any children going unfed, and I am happy to pay any taxes that make that a reality. School will always be a competition, but don't make it be about food.

[Saiwania]

Alright, I'm tiring of people in here acting like bullying is the worst thing in the world. My larger point is that life doesn't reward the weak and you'll come across plenty of unpleasant people in this world. I'm not referring to physical harm so much as verbal abuse. Happens in the workplace or wherever else, you just got to learn to not be too bothered by such things. In my experience, a display of weakness is an invitation for more people to try to get you upset.

[Arridian Islands]

Alright, I'm tiring of people in here acting like bullying is the worst thing in the world. My larger point is that life doesn't reward the weak and you'll come across plenty of unpleasant people in this world. I'm not referring to physical harm so much as verbal abuse. Happens in the workplace or wherever else, you just got to learn to not be too bothered by such things. In my experience, a display of weakness is an invitation for more people to try to get you upset.

But that has killed people before. Look up Amanda Todd.

[USS Monitor]

That would still come with a bunch of administrative costs to figure out who pays how much for their tickets. It's inefficient to have that bureaucracy.

I guess the families applying for free or discounted lunch can just show the school their tax forms. Not a lot of bureaucracy, and you can do it over the internet nowadays.

Someone at the school still has to process that info.

[AiliailiA]

I don't think this can effectively be enforced and thus I'm against this. Enduring simple bullying builds character

Two rebuttals to that already, I'll move on ...

and lunch is optional. I didn't have it for nearly the entire duration of K-12. So far as lunch being the only source of food for some children, give me a break. Even the lowest incomes can afford food, that is part of the point of minimum wage. It is almost a given that if a child isn't getting any food at home, that they'd eventually wind up getting removed from that home by the state.

School lunches are an opportunity for the government to ensure every child gets SOME healthy food, at least on the days school is in. The distinction is between cheap food (which almost any parent can afford) and healthy food (which an alarming number of parents seem unaware of, and some also cannot afford).

A parent providing NO FOOD AT ALL would be at risk of losing custody. Even that's not a certainty, but the point is your absurd reduction of 'providing adequate food' to 'providing any food at all'.

And finally let me say that the argument you have made is against the provision of school lunches AT ALL. If the school lunches are already being provided (as they are in NM) then the only thing you said that applies to a new law banning discrimination between students whose parents pay and students whose parents don't pay for lunches ... is "it can't be enforced" which is wrong, and "bullying builds character" which is detestably wrong.

[New haven america]

Alright, I'm tiring of people in here acting like bullying is the worst thing in the world.

Yeah, well I'm tired of people thinking bullying is ok. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Emericia]

Alright, I'm tiring of people in here acting like bullying is the worst thing in the world. My larger point is that life doesn't reward the weak and you'll come across plenty of unpleasant people in this world. I'm not referring to physical harm so much as verbal abuse. Happens in the workplace or wherever else, you just got to learn to not be too bothered by such things. In my experience, a display of weakness is an invitation for more people to try to get you upset.

Bullying isn't the worst thing in the world, but your trying to sell it like it's a good thing!
Do you know what people who don't show "display of weakness" do?
They become psychopaths that beat people for the simplest things. (Again I can attest to this).
(When I am taking about bullying, I am re3fering to the kind that results in physical violence.)