Media Contact:
Emily Pickren
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202-640-1118
Statement attributed to Jim Weill, president, Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)
WASHINGTON, June 20, 2019 — The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) announced its support of the No Shame at School Act, introduced by Rep. Ilhan Omar and Sen. Tina Smith, both Democrats from Minnesota. The bill would ban any kind of identification of students who cannot pay for lunch at school, like wristbands or hand stamps, and not allow schools to publish lists of students who owe money for school meals or use debt collectors to recoup meal fees. It also would result in more eligible children being certified for free or reduced-price school meals, and provide schools retroactive school meal reimbursement for students who are certified for free or reduced-price school meals later in the school year.
FRAC wholeheartedly endorses the No Shame at School Act because it would help ensure a positive experience in the cafeteria for all students, link more eligible children to free and reduced-price school meals, and provide some financial relief to schools struggling with school meal debt.
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The Food Research & Action Center is the leading national nonprofit organization working to eradicate poverty-related hunger and undernutrition in the United States.
