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from the North Dakota Monitor reports that families with unpaid school lunch debt have been referred to debt collection agencies in at least two dozen school districts.
Simultaneously, a state law “guarantees” the right to receive lunch without stigma. The law, passed in 2023, had good intentions but lacked the funding to help support it, according to Michelle Wagner, legislative chair for the North Dakota School Nutrition Association. Students unable to pay for lunch are still allowed a meal at school, though it is unclear if every district abides by this rule. Debt accrues for these students over time, and in the case of Elgin New Leipzig in Grant County, transcripts for college applications are withheld if a student has an outstanding bill. The Together for School Meals coalition is in opposition to that tactic.
Constitutional Measure 2, on the ballot for the Nov. 3rd election, would require public schools to provide one free breakfast and one free lunch to students, which supporters say will improve academic performance and well-being, while opponents say the constitutional amendment is too rigid, and call it “wasteful spending.”
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