Financial struggles post-pandemic lead to increased school meal debt in Kansas City, yet kids are provided food

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Kansas City, Missouri – The financial fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic still weighs families in Kansas City, especially parents of students who have substantial school meal debt. This problem has became more severe when a federal program offering free lunches to every student during the pandemic ended. This mounting debt poses a great obstacle for families as well as for school budgets as of the current academic year.

The federal government temporarily eased the usual standards for school lunch programs during the peak of the pandemic so that districts throughout the country may provide free lunches to every student, regardless of income. But this program ended in the fall of 2022, which resulted in an unanticipated increase in student meal debts as families tried to shift to paid meals.

The nutrition director for Lee’s Summit School District, Lori Danella, underlines how bad things are.  According to Danella, students owe even more this year. By the end of the academic year, she said the district was left with almost $79,000 in student meal debt. That comes out to be roughly $25,000 higher than last year.

Not limited to Lee’s Summit, this debt increase is not isolated. With students in the Blue Springs School District accruing more than $235,000 in unpaid lunch costs, nearby districts are confronting either comparable or even more difficult problems. The financial strain is a result of ongoing economic recovery efforts. Many families still struggle with changes in employment and rising living expenses, which forces school lunch fees low on their list of priorities. Schools make sure that no student goes hungry in spite of these challenges.

“They know we’re going to feed their kids no matter what,” Danella said to KRPS.

Read also: Kansas City Planning Director Jeffrey Williams to leave after nine years, to step down on August 1

The financial fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic still weighs families in Kansas City, especially parents of students
Credit: Unsplash

About 40 percent of Kansas districts have had to rely on collection agencies or even courts to control the mounting debt. Such actions highlight the financial paradox whereby money for education are progressively shifted to meet nutritional shortages rather than educational tools.

This problems goes beyond local government. With Kansas reporting roughly $23.5 million in meal debt, a six-fold rise from 2019, the state-wide numbers are shockingly high. At about $43.9 million, Missouri’s debt is significantly more.

Community support for efforts to reduce these debts comes from churches, companies, and people making gifts. For example, $20,000 in donations in North Kansas City helped alleviate the financial load on school supplies. Programs like Olathe Public Schools’ Cindy Jones Families-in- Need Fund also help by partially reducing the debt.

These efforts clearly demonstrate the need of a more lasting solution. Danella and other supporters are advocating state-level action to restore universal free lunch programs. Certain states, including Minnesota and California, have already passed laws allowing all students to get free school lunches, therefore establishing a precedent promoting the possibility of more general adoption.

Read also: Kansas City officer quits, sentenced to probation for off-duty violent incident after attacking several individuals while drunk

The ongoing issue clearly calls for action on behalf of legislators to alleviate family financial loads following the pandemic and guarantee that no child must learn on an empty stomach.

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