A new state law allows schools with a student population that’s at least 40 percent low-income to give all students free meals. In Baltimore City, every single school meets that criteria — which means every single student in the city’s public schools now qualifies for free meals.
That shouldn’t come as a surprise, since last year 84 percent of students in city schools qualified for free or subsidized meals, which are provided to low-income students. Students who come to school hungry are at an enormous disadvantage, which snowballs over time. Providing free meals is one simple way to level the playing field.
The new Maryland law is encouraging, because it means that we won’t have situations like this Colorado lunch lady, who was fired for giving hungry students free meals.
- The Effect of a Dilapidated Home on a Baltimore Block - September 19, 2017
- The Ku Klux Klan Is Apparently Still Alive and Well in Maryland - August 24, 2017
- Baltimore May Be Getting a Professional Soccer Team - September 16, 2016
