John,

In 2019, owing $10 for school lunches could mean losing your child to the foster care system.

At least that’s what school officials in New Jersey and Pennsylvania wanted parents to believe, as they used the prospect to shame parents into paying debts they might not be able to afford.

Don’t believe it? Learn more here.

Is this who we are? Is this the America we want for our kids?

These threats are cruel and endanger the critical relationship between schools and the child welfare system. Schools and the agencies that protect vulnerable children must work together; flooding the child welfare system with bogus claims only harms the children most in need of support.

The Children’s Defense Fund has led the movement to improve America’s child welfare system for our entire 46-year history. We strongly condemn this misuse of the system and all attempts to shame families who fall behind on lunch payments as they struggle to make ends meet. Children need food to thrive and be able to learn in school. In the America we are working towards, no student goes hungry and no family is torn apart because they don’t have enough to get by.

In solidarity,

Steven Olender
Senior Policy Associate, Child Welfare and Mental Health

Children's Defense Fund

P.S. We are fighting for a country where all children are well-fed and in safe and happy homes. If that is what you want for your children—and for all children—make a gift today.

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