Article 16: School Lunch Shaming:Hurting the Hungry

In many states across the United States (U.S.), students are facing various forms of shaming when they are unable to pay for their school lunches. Students have experienced shaming through being marked with stickers and stamps to make them stand out from their peers, eating alternative lunches, and using separate lunch lines. Some believe this results in lifelong, harmful effects on students’ emotional and physical wellbeing. Others believe forms of shaming are necessary as it encourages and reminds families to pay off their debt. These strategies, though seemingly harsh, are effective in receiving funds from families. Some also believe there is a need for ending lunch shaming and potentially lunch debt but recognize the money for lunches must then be provided from an alternative source.