Across South Dakota, many working families make just enough to miss the free meal cutoff but still qualify for reduced price school meals, meaning they are still being charged for lunch at school.

Those charges are what turn into meal debt for families, and schools are left absorbing the financial strain for making sure students are fed.

A proposal before the legislature, House Bill 1082, would fix this by ensuring students who qualify for reduced price meals are not charged and that school districts are reimbursed for the costs they are already covering.

Kids need meals. Not lunch debt. Schools should not be penalized for feeding students.

TAKE ACTION
Tell your legislators you support HB 1082 and ensuring students who qualify for reduced price meals are not charged for school meals while districts are reimbursed for those costs.