Weekend Reading

Reading

In the re-authorization of the Child Nutrition Act, the issue of the cost of a school lunch was addressed.  right now, if a child qualifies for a free lunch (family of four household income of less than about $30k/annually), the federal govt pays the school $2.72 for that lunch.  On the other hand, most schools charge "full price" kids far less. The result is that money intended for a hungry child's lunch may be subsidizing the lunch of kids who can afford to pay. On the other hand, there are lots of kids on Long Island whose families make more than $30,000 a year but might have trouble making ends meet. The law requires schools charging less than the federal reimbursement rate to very gradually increase the cost of lunch.  The blog Better DC School Food did a great job reporting  on the issue in Tax Breaks for Billionaires, Higher Lunch Prices for Kids.

To my mind, it brings up the whole issue of Janet Poppendeick;s book, Free for All.

The issue of PCBs in schools in the city has been heating up - read the WSJ's reporting here or get more background information here.

Watching

Check out An Apple a Day is Not Enough - A Poem by Taylor Mali in YouTube.

Fun

Happy Holidays. Enjoy the break.

Sara