RESPONSE TO CRYSTAL FITZSIMONS' ESSAY.

FitzSimons may be concerned about students feeling "stigma" from participating in means-tested meal programs today, but that diverts attention away from improper payments and food waste and school meal expansions to children who are not in need. Episodes of so-called lunch-shaming, where school officials embarrass students whose parents have accumulated lunch debt by not paying for their child's school meals, demonstrate poor judgment on the part of school employees. Permanently expanding federal school meal eligibility to include all students only eliminates payment problems by making all meals the responsibility of taxpayers rather than parents by creating a new entitlement program for non-poor students. School meal fraud wastes taxpayer dollars and reduces the amount of money school officials can use to help more children in need. [Extracted from the article]