Senate Bill 376 - help resolve hunger issues in Texas among children

The poverty among families with children in Texas is substantially increasing. This means that children are becoming more malnourished which deprives their brain of important energy needed to learn during school.  Offering free breakfasts to all interested students in low-income areas, not just to those who qualify under federal guidelines, is a program that some state legislators are trying to expand to schools in poor neighborhoods across Texas. Under the School Breakfast Program, which began in 1966, children whose household income below 185 percent of the federal poverty line are eligible for a low-cost school breakfast; those below 130 percent receive free breakfasts. The federal government reimburses the school for each meal served. The breakfast program, and a similar one for lunches, is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Senate Bill 376 would require schools to offer free breakfast to all students at public schools where 80 percent of the student body qualifies for free or reduced price meals. Research has shown that students who eat breakfast are better able to concentrate and do better in school. An estimate of the impact of the bill says that this bill could ensure a morning meal for as many as 731,000 children. Senator Lucio says “It has been shown that providing access to nutritious food increases students' concentration, and reduces students' absences and discipline problems." Celia Cole, CEO of Texas Food Bank Network, comments that with Senate Bill 376 “Children have better test scores, better attendance, better behavior. So, in addition to being a great tool for fighting hunger and ensuring that kids get the nutrition they need to stay healthy and learn, it’s a proven education policy to boost academic achievement.”

Passage of Senate Bill 376 would cost neither the state nor school districts additional money. In fact, under this bill, because schools are receiving additional funding per meal and are serving more meals, the program becomes more cost effective for schools. Now passed out of the Senate Committee on Education, the bill moves to the full Senate for consideration. This bill should be passed, as it would help lower hunger in poverty stricken areas and it would increase the mental health of children who would otherwise be struggling in school to focus and strive to do their best.