CEO: Schools reject offer to pay students' late lunch bills

[DURHAM D]

4. Good.

I know a lot of people got wound up about this story but I thought from the get go that it was well-off parents not paying their debts because they did not think the school could do a damn thing about it.

I learned that a lot of people are not aware of the National Lunch Program that was signed into law by President Truman about 50 years ago - a program usually referred to as the "Free and Reduced Lunch" program.

Also, most schools have a list of organizations, churches or agencies that will step up and pay the lunch bill for kids in changed circumstances or some family emergency. Sometimes this is managed by a social worker or a counselor and sometimes by the food service staff.

During the school year kids who qualify get a bag of food to take home on Fridays.

I live in a medium size town and during summer there are four places where kids and a parent can go to get free lunch every weekday and two places to pick up food for the weekend.