Utah Legislature to consider extending school lunch breaks
Students eat lunch at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School in South Salt Lake on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)
Are 15 minutes enough time for a lunch break? That's the typical time Utah schools allocate for children to eat, counting the time to walk to the cafeteria, and line up to get food.
That's a big deal for many parents and children, Rep. Tiara Auxier, R-Morgan, said during the the Education Interim Committee's first meeting of the year on Wednesday, while she advocated for the panel to study expanding the seat time for lunch in public schools.
As her colleagues passed a House bill this year making school lunch free for students who qualify for reduced-priced meals, Auxier kept thinking about unresolved issues, especially the timing concern she experienced with her kids.
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'One of my biggest concerns was that we were going to be putting a lot of money into this program, and the kids still weren't going to be able to eat them,' Auxier said. 'We heard so many times about full trash cans and kids just being rushed out.'
With some lawmakers supporting the idea, while acknowledging that its implementation could be a challenge, the committee voted unanimously to add a review of policies and best practices centered around lunch times to its list of interim study items and audits.
Starting July 1, Utah students qualifying for reduced-priced lunches can get meals for free
Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights, who is an educator, said this is a step in the right direction, though she worried about how extending the lunch break may affect existing legislation requiring certain time minimums for core subjects.
That's a concern that the chair of the committee, Rep. Candice Pierucci, R-Herriman, had heard as well from teachers.
'They usually say, 'well, we just don't have time, right? You've got to pack everything in.'' Pierucci said. 'So that should be a part of this discussion.'
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends schools provide at least 20 minutes of seat time for students to eat their meals and socialize. That's apart from the time it takes them to use the restroom and wash their hands, wait in line, walk to their tables and bus trays after the meals.
'About half of school districts nationwide do not require or recommend that schools give students at least 20 minutes to eat, once they receive their meal,' the CDC's website reads. 'Some students report that insufficient time to eat is a key reason for not participating in the school lunch program.'
The Utah State Board of Education has a similar guideline in its Health and Wellness Policy, directing schools to provide a minimum of 10 minutes for breakfast, and 20 minutes of lunch, 'which excludes time to arrive at the cafeteria and waiting in line.' However, lawmakers noted that it seems like the direction isn't being followed in all schools.
As of Wednesday, the committee is prioritizing other study items, including changes to the Department of Education and other federal programs with the new administration; any progress on universities' plans to reallocate 10% of their budget for courses; reviewing school employees' disciplinary actions; and solutions for chronic absenteeism.
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