Free breakfast & lunch: Milwaukee Public Schools trying to make it a reality for students



MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Parents can say goodbye to tedious paperwork and students can say goodbye to unwanted stigma. Milwaukee Public Schools is applying for a program that would make all students in the district eligible for free breakfast and lunch -- no matter their income.

82 percent of students at MPS are eligible for free and reduced lunches -- which means the remaining students are not. If approved for the community eligibility provision under the Healthy, Hunger-free Kids Act, all of them in participating schools would be able to eat free.

"All the kids should deserve the program. And all the kids deserve the meals and everything. So it's a good thing," said parent Mary Davis.

Parents FOX6 News spoke with at Hawthorne Elementary like the sound of the program. MPS says it will apply before the June 30th deadline.

Jim Degan, President of Wisconsin's School Nutrition Association says there are some eligibility requirements based on students eligible for meals.

"Schools have to reach a threshold of 40 percent of identified student population," said Degan.

The benefits for participating schools -- free meals are provided to students and the household application process is eliminated. MPS could potentially get 100 percent reimbursement from the federal government.

"You don't have to worry about students who don't have money in their accounts. You eliminate overt identification because the meals are good for every student," said Degan.

Renee Duckworth really like the sound of that.

"You know, lift that stigma off the children going through the line," said Duckworth. "Ward off the differences, you know, when it's time to eat."

Degan says under the program, kids would realize the meal program is not just for poor kids. If approved, the free lunch program would apply for the 2014-15 school year.