May 9, 2017 3 min read

A Democrat from Pennsylvania is among those pushing a U.S. Senate bill they say would curtail practices by schools that shame students whose parents can’t pay for meals.

Sen. Bob Casey joined colleagues advocating for a bill – along with an identical one in the House – they say would bar schools from “lunch-shaming” practices such as requiring children to don wrist bands, bear hand stamps or perform extra chores when their parents don’t pay lunch debt.

The legislation, introduced Monday, wouldn’t mandate schools extend credit to families to cover their lunch bills and wouldn’t provide funding to cover meals. Casey spokeswoman Jacklin Rhoades said the bill does aim to make it “more user-friendly” to apply for free and reduced-price lunches.

“It is completely absurd that students would be shamed at school based on their inability to purchase food,” Casey said. “I am confident that this legislation will do its part to stop students suffering from humiliation for circumstances outside of their control. This is bullying, and I am saddened that we have to write legislation to ensure it ends.”

Canon-McMillan School District came under fire in the fall when Stacy Myers Koltiska, a food service worker at Wylandville Elementary, said she quit when she claimed she had to take chicken nuggets from a student and instead give him a cold cheese sandwich because his meal account was $25 or more in debt to the school.

District officials disputed the version of events Koltiska gave in a Facebook post that went viral.

Superintendent Michael Daniels told KDKA-TV the ex-employee was never told to throw the student’s meal away and asserted the boy was given his meal when officials found his account wasn’t delinquent.

The school board approved additional guidelines to its lunch policy in October clarifying “no student on free or reduced lunch will be denied a main lunch option.” Students in kindergarten through eighth grade whose accounts are $25 overdrawn are able to purchase an “alternate lunch.” High-schoolers in that situation would be unable to charge additional lunches.

Casey and the other Democrats are part of a minority in the Senate, and it’s unclear if they can muster support from their GOP counterparts. Chamber Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky hasn’t taken a public stance on the proposal.

GOP Rep. Rodney Davis of Illinois is co-sponsoring the House bill.

Both bills’ main sponsors – Sen. Tom Udall and Rep. Michelle Lujan Graham – are Democrats from New Mexico, whose governor recently signed similar legislation, acccording to an NPR report.

Udall spokesman Ned Adriance said the legislation would apply to any school that participates in the National School Lunch Program or school breakfast program, including public and nonprofit private schools and residential child-care facilities.

Adriance said the legislation doesn’t address the practice of extending credit, which varies among schools.

“It does include a sense of the Congress that the secretary of agriculture should ensure that every child who requests a school meal should be provided with one, even if they don’t have the money to pay for it or have an outstanding balance,” he added.