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Aiming to Serve Free Breakfasts to All Students in Poor Areas
New York Times ^ | April 25, 2013 | CHRIS HOOKS

Posted on 04/26/2013 10:32:33 AM PDT by reaganaut1

...

Offering free breakfasts to all interested students in low-income areas, not just to those who qualify under federal guidelines, is a program that some state legislators are trying to expand to schools in poor neighborhoods across Texas.

Senate Bill 376, written by Senator Eddie Lucio Jr., Democrat of Brownsville, would require schools to offer free breakfast to all students at public schools where 80 percent or more of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals.

“As one of 10 kids growing up in Brownsville many years ago, I understand the struggles that parents go through to maintain their households and feed their children,” he said.

The left-leaning Center for Public Policy Priorities estimates that the bill could mean a morning meal for as many as 731,000 additional students.

The bill has passed the Senate and will go to the House.

Under the School Breakfast Program, which began in 1966, children whose household income is below 185 percent of the federal poverty line are eligible for a low-cost school breakfast; those below 130 percent receive free breakfasts. (For the current school year, 185 percent of the poverty level is $42,643 for a family of four; 130 percent of the poverty level is $29,965 for a family of four.) The federal government reimburses the school for each meal served. The program, and a similar one for lunches, is administered by the Agriculture Department.

Research has shown that students who eat breakfast do better in school. But in Texas, participation in the School Breakfast Program is less than 60 percent of that of the National School Lunch Program. Childhood nutrition advocates say the stigma of receiving free breakfasts when other students eat at home keeps some students from participating.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: publicschools; welfare
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To: reaganaut1
The federal government reimburses the school for each meal served.

I can't for the life of me understand why the big rush to dump more and more kids onto this program. /s

21 posted on 04/26/2013 11:16:01 AM PDT by Hoffer Rand (There ARE two Americas: "God's children" and the tax payers)
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To: reaganaut1

I think he’s behind times with this. Every Texas school I know of has had free breakfast for all kids no matter their income. We’ve had it in our district for 15 years that I know of. I’ve also heard of some districts offering meals during the summer.


22 posted on 04/26/2013 11:18:05 AM PDT by bgill
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To: reaganaut1
What about free dinner? What about the weekend and summer meals? Think of the children!

They're ahead of you, already in practice, at least in Utah. Breakfast and supper, too. And they don't just serve the school age kids during summer, but the whole family. One of the scams is that parents send multiple kids through the line at intervals, claiming to be "getting the meals for the whole family" so each child picks up enough meals for the whole family. Then mom feeds the kids one meal each, and sticks the rest in the stroller to take home the remaining 2-3 more meals for the whole family. And of course, the family is on food stamps, which are either "exchanged" for cash to buy booze, cigs, drugs, or other items, or the family eats prime food items. Is it any wonder this section of the population has an obesity problem. We're literally throwing food at them from multiple sources, with no policing.

23 posted on 04/26/2013 11:24:06 AM PDT by Hoffer Rand (There ARE two Americas: "God's children" and the tax payers)
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To: reaganaut1

As Rand Paul said, he never met an immigrant (either illegal or legal) who came here for a handout.

So Rand... Explain this.


24 posted on 04/26/2013 11:24:29 AM PDT by sickoflibs (To GOP : Any path to US citizenship IS putting them ahead in line. Stop lying about your position.)
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To: CatherineofAragon

>> During the 1970s, when I was in elementary school, there were poor black kids, and yet they all managed to show up with the necessary school supplies. What changed?

During the 70s, even poor kids had fathers.

SnakeDoc


25 posted on 04/26/2013 11:25:01 AM PDT by SnakeDoctor ("I've shot people I like more for less." -- Raylan Givens)
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To: CatherineofAragon; All

” Next up: manicure vouchers for three-inch-long nails.”

How about “sex stamps” for ugly people, who can’t get laid?


26 posted on 04/26/2013 11:31:17 AM PDT by stephenjohnbanker
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To: sickoflibs
As Rand Paul said, he never met an immigrant (either illegal or legal) who came here for a handout.

So Rand... Explain this.

Simple. They're not immigrants - they're PARASITES.

27 posted on 04/26/2013 11:33:02 AM PDT by jimt (Fear is the darkroom where negatives are developed.)
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To: reaganaut1

no now let’s see... free breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner at school. free meals also in town for the parents...

so,
why do we need foodstamps anymore?

just curious


28 posted on 04/26/2013 11:41:20 AM PDT by faithhopecharity (()
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To: Opinionated Blowhard
Serve 'em Nutraloaf.
29 posted on 04/26/2013 11:44:41 AM PDT by ArrogantBustard (Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)
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To: reaganaut1

“What about free dinner? What about the weekend and summer meals? Think of the children! “

Too late. The libs are already doing that in some places. Parents, after all, shall have no responsibility, other than breeding.


30 posted on 04/26/2013 12:03:42 PM PDT by freeangel ( (free speech is only good until someone else doesn't like it)
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To: stephenjohnbanker

LOL! No problem!


31 posted on 04/26/2013 12:07:04 PM PDT by CatherineofAragon ( (Support Christian white males---the architects of the jewel known as Western Civilization))
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To: SnakeDoctor

‘Tis true.


32 posted on 04/26/2013 12:07:31 PM PDT by CatherineofAragon ( (Support Christian white males---the architects of the jewel known as Western Civilization))
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To: sheana

Same here.


33 posted on 04/26/2013 12:12:21 PM PDT by CatherineofAragon ( (Support Christian white males---the architects of the jewel known as Western Civilization))
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To: FlingWingFlyer
"different time"

ditto. I took sack lunches to school for most of my grade school and high school years. I only participated in the truly awful school lunch program at my Catholic grade school for a few months (and was ecstatic when the principal, to save the school money, told me to home for lunch). In those days (fifties, sixties) nobody thought schools i.e. government were responsible for feeding their children. A few years ago in my old hometown of La Crosse, Wisc., one local educrat got a lot of publicity for advocating schools feed children through summer vacation. Just walk around La Crosse and try to find skinny kids. You'll find a lot more very chunky little urchins.

34 posted on 04/26/2013 12:52:01 PM PDT by driftless2
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To: laweeks
"bombarded"

There's the Hunger Task Force in my area. My area is one part of the country where, judging by the appearance of many of the citizens, it would be hard to find a truly hungry person.

35 posted on 04/26/2013 12:53:58 PM PDT by driftless2
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To: CatherineofAragon
During the 1970s, when I was in elementary school, there were poor black kids, and yet they all managed to show up with the necessary school supplies.

I think Lyndon Johnson gets a lot of the "credit".

The black illegitimacy rate went from 10-15 per cent to 75-80 percent.

And the "Great" society made govt dependents out of a significant part of the US population.

36 posted on 04/26/2013 1:02:35 PM PDT by nascarnation (Baraq's economic policy: trickle up poverty)
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To: reaganaut1

I’m guessing this State Sen. Lucio is another amnesty dog, too. Brownsville is basically like a town from Mexico that was moved across the river, as are so many of the other Texas border cities.


37 posted on 04/26/2013 6:34:22 PM PDT by octex
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To: driftless2
judging by the appearance of many of the citizens, it would be hard to find a truly hungry person.

Yeah, don't ya' just love that: Fist pounding demands for more free stuff while their fat and flab jiggle on their arms . . . love it.

38 posted on 04/27/2013 8:18:11 AM PDT by laweeks
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