The Montgomery County Board of Education finalized a new policy Tuesday that manages student school lunch debt, and it removes a proposed penalty that would have provided students who owe money with a different meal from their peers. The board voted unanimously in favor of the new policy, which will be in effect beginning July 1, 2022.

The Montgomery County school board was initially on the precipice of making a policy change in May, 2021 that dictated students with unpaid lunch debt would receive a cold sandwich, fruit, and milk instead of the hot, prepared meal that the rest of their peers would be served. The policy change, which was first reported by Bethesda Beat, sparked pushback from local advocates who said the alternate meals would lead to inequity and “lunch shaming” among students. 

“The practice is humiliating and has no place in the cafeteria,” said Fania Yangarber, the executive director for the advocacy group Healthy School Food Maryland. “Any lunch debt that the child carries should be addressed directly with their parents and shouldn’t be on display in the cafeteria in front of their peers.”

Following the disapproval expressed by MCPS staff members, parents, and other concerned parties, the school board benched changes to the school lunch debt collection policy — until today.

According to the new policy finalized Tuesday, every student will receive the same hot, main dish for lunch. However, if  there is a negative balance of at least $35 on an account, once a set limit is surpassed, students will be prevented from ordering any additional, individual food items. 

“We will work with families directly to make sure they’re aware,” said Jeanie Dawson, chief of finance and operations for MCPS.

The new policy also states that school administrators will contact the parents or guardians of a student with lunch debt using a variety of communication methods. If the student’s family does not qualify for free or reduced meals, the district would request payment for unpaid meals from the parents or guardians. The superintendent can seek funding for the lunch debt through donations and community partners.

“Ultimately we decided what we believe is best for our school communities to ensure students can focus on learning and achieving in school,” said MCPS spokesperson Christopher Cram.

The practice of giving alternate meals to students with a negative balance was first suspended in 2018 by the board. To help offset the challenges faced by families who can’t afford lunch but don’t qualify for free or reduced lunch, Montgomery County Public Schools established the Dine with Dignity Fund to pay off lunch debts and provide students with meals. According to the program, the fund has settled $235,579 in lunch debt for more than 16,000 students since 2018.

Community members like Yangarber want to see free lunch provided to all students, regardless of a family’s income. She says the pandemic has not only compounded economic challenges for families, it also warranted a system for schools to provide additional meals to more families.

“We just don’t want to go back to the old, inequitable, multi-tiered, income-based system,” said Yangarber. “It’s clear that what the food services division has been doing for the last two years, which is providing meals to children and families, is what we should be doing. There’s a need for it, and there’s demand for it.”

This post has been updated to include comment from MCPS.