Latest news with #HouseBill100
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Cox signs bill expanding Utah's school lunch program for struggling families
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox remembers visiting a public school in Layton a couple of years ago where many of the students and their families were facing rough economic times. The principal showed the governor a pantry inside the school stocked with food for the kids to take home. The extra food, the principal explained, was helping the children satisfy an essential education resource: Basic nutrition and sustenance. The principal then added something Cox has not forgotten: 'Kids can't learn when they're hungry. … Kids can't learn when their thoughts are elsewhere.' That compassionate impulse to feed and educate Utah's kids is at the heart of House Bill 100, said the governor. Cox, lawmakers and community advocates for fight against hunger gathered Tuesday at the Utah State Capitol to sign, ceremoniously, the bill passed during the recent Legislative session to provide school lunch at no cost to eligible students. HB100, said Cox, 'Isn't just about providing school lunch — it's about helping kids learn, and kids can't learn when they're hungry.' HB100 expands the number of Utah's K-12 students eligible to receive free school lunch — while shielding participating kids from embarrassment and also aiming to reduce food waste. A trio of provisions highlight HB100: First, all K-12 students currently eligible for 'reduced price' meals will be moved to the 'no cost' classification for the lunchtime meal. School breakfast is not included in the bill. Second, protecting kids receiving free school lunch from embarrassment. And third, limiting food waste by encouraging schools to expand lunch period times while implementing 'shared tables' where students can return, say, sealed or unopened food items to be consumed by others. Eliminating the 'reduced price threshold' is a defining element of HB100, which was co-sponsored by Rep. Tyler Clancy, R-Provo, and Sen. Kirk Cullimore, R-Sandy. The new legislation will reportedly provide no-cost meals for approximately 40,000 currently classified as 'reduced price' children whose families are perhaps waging daily battles to stay in the middle class. 'These are families that a couple years ago probably would be considered middle class — but due to inflation and a number of other concerns, the price of food in particular has hit these families hard,' said Clancy during a bill presentation last month to lawmakers. The price of a healthy meal in Utah's San Juan County, he noted, 'has gone up 77% since 2020.' Allowing 'reduced price school lunch' students to receive 'no-cost' school lunch, Clancy added, would signal 'a small adjustment to our social safety net' that can keep many Utah families on the path to self-sufficiency — and well-fed students succeeding in the classroom. HB100 also requires schools to protect students who are receiving 'no-cost' school lunch from being stigmatized or embarrassed. Special buttons, different-colored lunch trays or other things that might identify free-meal recipients to their classmates are prohibited. 'The shame and the stigma associated with participation in social safety net programs can sometimes actually be an inhibitor to participation in those programs,' Clancy told the Deseret News. Utah schools would also be encouraged to implement 'share tables' where unopened or sealed foods can be shared, instead of simply tossing it in the trash. During Tuesday's event, Clancy said collaboration between lawmakers and community organizations such as the Policy Project and Utahns Against Hunger 'found a common sense solution that doesn't just address hunger — but also food insecurity, shame, stigma and many other things.' As a police officer, Clancy has witnessed the heavy toll food insecurity can exact on Utahns — including many children. 'What HB100 represents is a system that's coming together … for all those children who are in need.' Cullimore saluted Clancy's tenaciousness in pursuing the bill and the benefits it provides many of Utah children. 'Thank you to everyone who participated and got it across the finish line.' Emily Bell McCormick, the founder and president of The Policy Project, said Tuesday that she fights back emotion thinking about the Utah children who will benefit from HB100. 'Our legislators did the right thing and got this passed for the kids,' she said. Even for working families, rising housing costs and other expenses are burdening many, added Bell McCormick. The new school meal program will help lighten some of those burdens — while demonstrating the state's investment in its youth. Neil Rickard, a child nutrition advocate with Utahns Against Hunger added that HB100 helps benefit youth by improving upon existing school meal programs for students facing economic hardships during volatile periods. 'By eliminating the reduced price category, it's just getting to that chunk of students who are in- between the reduced and free categories,' he said. Contributing: Brigham Tomco
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill calls for free school lunch for Utah kids receiving ‘reduced price' meals
A Logan high school student-athlete scavenges for pizza in the school dumpster prior to a game to take the edge off his hunger. A West Valley City girl living out of her family car has no way to cook the box of macaroni & cheese she received from the local food back. And a Beaver child eats dog food because her family does not have access to food at home. Such accounts of Utah school kids battling hunger helped fuel Rep. Tyler Clancy's sponsorship of the so-called 'Food Security' school lunch bill. House Bill 100 expands the number of Utah's K-12 students eligible to receive free school lunch — while shielding participating kids from embarrassment and also aiming to reduce food waste. Clancy, R-Provo, said HB100 — which unanimously passed the Senate Education Committee on Monday — creates 'an intervention in our education system that represents less than 1% of our entire education budget to make sure that students are not hungry in the classroom.' Hungry kids in Utah classrooms, he added, is a reality. 'One in six children in Utah is facing food insecurity.' A trio of provisions highlight HB100, which has undergone several revisions: First, all K-12 students who would currently be eligible for 'reduced price' meals would be moved to the 'no cost' classification for the lunchtime meal. School breakfast is not included in the bill. Second, protecting kids receiving free school lunch from embarrassment. And third, limiting food waste by encouraging schools to expand lunch period times while implementing 'shared tables' where students can return, say, sealed or unopened food items to be consumed by others. Eliminating the 'reduced price threshold' is a defining element of Clancy's bill. 'Each year, our schools are generating about $2.8 million in school meal debt,' said the lawmaker in a report to the House Education Committee last month. If it passes, HB100 would reportedly provide no-cost meals for 40,000 currently classified 'reduced price' children whose families are perhaps waging daily battles to stay in the middle class. 'These are families that a couple years ago probably would be considered middle class — but due to inflation and a number of other concerns, the price of food in particular has hit these families hard,' said Clancy during Monday's presentation. The price of a healthy meal in Utah's San Juan County, he noted, 'has gone up 77% since 2020.' Hunger can exact a costly price in the classroom, said Clancy. 'We know that there's a lot of negative consequences from student hunger in the classroom — everything from mental health to lower test scores, behavioral problems and dropout rates.' Allowing 'reduced price school lunch' students to receive 'no-cost' school lunch, he added, would signal 'a small adjustment to our social safety net' that can keep many Utah families on the path to self-sufficiency — and well-fed students succeeding in the classroom. 'We can maximize the $7 billion-plus investment in public education that we have here in the state with less than 1% of this investment' appropriated by the bill. The bill's fiscal note is estimated to be $2.5 million. HB100 also requires schools to protect students who are receiving 'no-cost' school lunch from being stigmatized or embarrassed. Special buttons, different-colored lunch trays or other things that might identify free-meal recipients to their classmates are prohibited. 'The shame and the stigma associated with participation in social safety net programs can sometimes actually be an inhibitor to participation in those programs,' Clancy told the Deseret News. Schools would be allowed to speak only to parents regarding a child's free school lunch participation. Clancy added that HB100 encourages schools to reduce food waste by prioritizing and expanding school lunch time — allowing children sufficient time 'to eat before recess.' Schools would also be encouraged to implement 'share tables' where unopened or sealed foods can be shared, instead of simply tossing it in the trash. 'Share tables', he added, have been a success at pilot program schools. 'So if you take an entire tray of lunch, but you don't want, say, the apple, or a pre-wrapped snack — instead of throwing it away … you can (add it to the share table).' Clancy's school lunch bill enjoyed broad support during Monday's public comment period. Lifelong Utah resident Sandy Snowden said she has known the uncertainty of food security during volatile economic times. 'I have also witnessed, firsthand, how we continue to struggle to support our most vulnerable,' she said. 'Through no fault of their own, many of our children need our help. Ensuring food security for kids should be an easy: 'Yes.'' 'As a mother of five, I know the fear of not knowing how we would feed my kids.' Neil Rickard from Utahns Against Hunger said initiatives such as HB100 can prevent families who are experiencing 'hard times' from slipping into 'genuine crisis.' 'These programs are especially important at a time when pantries around the state are under strain and forced to cut programs or hours — and other resources simply aren't available for kids in this bracket.'
