Nebraska Public Media
Nebraska parents are sometimes referred to collection agencies for outstanding debts stemming from their kids lunch/breakfast accounts. The Education Committee considered a bill yesterday could end that practice.
The bill (LB855) was introduced by Lincoln State Senator Danielle Conrad, and would also prohibit school districts from assessing or collecting interest, fees or other monetary penalties for outstanding debts on a student’s school lunch or breakfast account.
“This is an issue that I identified years and years ago that was happening in Lincoln public schools,” said Conrad. “I’ve gone and pulled the court filings, and in Lincoln, there are families being turned over to collections for a $20 unpaid lunch bill.”
Conrad added that she doesn’t believe this practice is widespread, “But I think this is one way to address childhood poverty, nutrition, and family economic self sufficiency. The better option would be [for the state] to pick up school breakfast and lunches, and we should still talk about that. But we should also stop this process where families are being hounded by private debt collectors and being hauled into court because they can’t pay for lunch.”
Many families cannot afford legal counsel, Conrad said, and a default judgment on school lunch debt will impact their credit report, which could impede their ability to rent housing.
Stephen Grizzle, superintendent of South Central Nebraska Unified School District #5, testified in opposition to the bill. While he appreciated the measure’s intent, Grizzle said families may stop paying for school meals if there are no consequences, which could lead to a significant loss of revenue for school districts.
“I feel like this is another example of a bill being passed that’s requiring the school districts to pick up more and more costs,” Grizzle said. “[Schools] also get accused of spending too much money and being the sole reason for high property taxes.”
“I appreciate those costs have to come from somewhere. I understand that schools are not made of money,” said Conrad, “But I can tell you this, when families are living on the edge — and these are the families who can’t pay their school meal debt — when they get turned over to collections, it really starts to spiral for them.”
The committee took no immediate action on the bill.