SUFFOLK, Va. — Every day Suffolk Public Schools serves 9,000 school lunches and 6,500 breakfasts. Those free meals are likely the only opportunity some students have at having a meal. Currently, there's a bill in the works that local lawmakers are supporting so no child goes hungry.
The School Nutritional Association estimates that 1 in 8 children in America don't have consistent access to food in their homes. Tricia Kastelitz with Suffolk Public Schools Nutrition and Student Wellness Education, says hunger is happening everywhere, especially in our own backyard.
In Suffolk, Kastelitz says 40% of the kids in the public schools are directly identified students, meaning they're on another federal program. However, she suspects there could be more.
"Really 70 percent could be at risk," she said. "We have a certain percentage of our students who are experiencing homelessness in our district. I think it's fair to say that they risk not eating tonight."
Suffolk Public Schools now serves breakfast and lunch to their students through a program that began at the start of the pandemic. Since then, Kastelitz said her students have excelled in class.
"Students who ate have good moods, they have fewer behavioral incidents and less referrals," she said. "There's also a ton of research that shows that feeding school meals improve your test score and actually lowers their behavioral issues."
Because the program is more inclusive, it creates a bonding experience for the kids, preventing bullying issues.
"None of the children are identified as to whether they are free or reduced because a lot more students are eating," says Kastelitz.
Now, Virginia lawmakers are hoping to improve other schools with a universal free lunch program called House Bill 1967.
The will would require each public elementary and secondary school in a local school division to participate in the federal national school lunch program as well as the federal school breakfast program administered by the United States Department of Agriculture. That would mean a meal at no cost to a student unless their parents tell the school board otherwise.
The legislation did not move forward out of a subcommittee Tuesday night.
