In the past week, the story broke about an Arkansas legislator who proposed cutting lunch funding for school districts that struggle with improving their reading skills. This would cut national funding for districts that are unable to show improvement after "a period of time," serving as an incentive and a push towards improving.
However, many parents and caregivers are outraged, and understandably so. Many students rely on their school lunches — according to No Kid Hungry, over 13 million youth come from food insecure households, meaning that they may not have regular access to food at home. Over the years, schools, organizations such as No Kid Hungry and Feeding America, and federal programs have worked together to fill in the gaps that students face outside of regular school hours. Services such as school breakfasts, after-school meals, and summer meals help assure that these food-insecure students are able to receive the food that they need.
Aside from food being an essential, basic human need, hunger can impact academic performance. Studies found that lack of access to healthy food impairs students' abilities to concentrate and perform well in school; in students who were 3 or younger, lack of nourishment leads to being less likely to learn as much or as well as their peers at such a crucial age. The Food Research and Action Center even found that students from food insecure households are less likely to complete high school and/or college. Not only would cutting lunch funding to struggling districts in an effort to push improvement likely have the opposite effect, it would impact the students who rely on those meals to live.
Food insecurity and its impact on students is not exclusive to students at the K-12 level. College students often struggle with hunger as well. Here at the HIGH Program, one of the forms of assistance we provide to our recipients is food assistance. If you or someone you know is a current Wayne State University student in need of assistance, or you simply just want to know how you can help, check out our website here!
However, many parents and caregivers are outraged, and understandably so. Many students rely on their school lunches — according to No Kid Hungry, over 13 million youth come from food insecure households, meaning that they may not have regular access to food at home. Over the years, schools, organizations such as No Kid Hungry and Feeding America, and federal programs have worked together to fill in the gaps that students face outside of regular school hours. Services such as school breakfasts, after-school meals, and summer meals help assure that these food-insecure students are able to receive the food that they need.
Aside from food being an essential, basic human need, hunger can impact academic performance. Studies found that lack of access to healthy food impairs students' abilities to concentrate and perform well in school; in students who were 3 or younger, lack of nourishment leads to being less likely to learn as much or as well as their peers at such a crucial age. The Food Research and Action Center even found that students from food insecure households are less likely to complete high school and/or college. Not only would cutting lunch funding to struggling districts in an effort to push improvement likely have the opposite effect, it would impact the students who rely on those meals to live.
Food insecurity and its impact on students is not exclusive to students at the K-12 level. College students often struggle with hunger as well. Here at the HIGH Program, one of the forms of assistance we provide to our recipients is food assistance. If you or someone you know is a current Wayne State University student in need of assistance, or you simply just want to know how you can help, check out our website here!
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