South Carolina bans lunch shaming, expands free meals through new law

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A new law in South Carolina will expand access to free and reduced-price school lunches and prevent schools from punishing students over unpaid meal debt.

The law prohibits “meal-shaming,” a practice in which students with outstanding meal debt are denied food, given alternative meals, or excluded from school activities.

“As a parent, it’s frustrating. Honestly, it angers you,” said Shelina Flarisee, whose son was denied lunch due to a balance mix-up. “He’s coming home starving. We’re like, ‘Did you eat lunch today?’ He said, ‘No. They told me my account’s too far in the negative.’”

Gov. Henry McMaster signed the bill earlier this month, making permanent what had previously been a temporary budget provision.

 “What we don’t want is for children to be punished effectively for not being able to pay for their meals,” said Meg Stanley with Wholespire, a group that advocates for healthy food choices. “By either not receiving a meal, receiving a different meal, not being able to participate in programs such as field trips and even to a further extent of perhaps even preventing them from walking at graduation.”

The law also requires schools to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the federal Free and Reduced School Lunch Program. In South Carolina, schools with at least 40% of students who qualify for free lunch can opt into the CEP. The entire student body will get free lunch to eliminate the burden of that many individual applications.

The federal government covers most of the cost, depending on how many students qualify in the school, while school districts pay the remainder. But experts say that before the budget proviso went into effect two years ago, many districts opted out of the program.

Under the law, schools may opt out only if they can prove participation would create a financial burden.

“When schools participate, it makes it easier to administer lunch and relieves a burden for families who are already struggling,” said Stanley. “It relieves a burden for the families who are already struggling, especially those who are for whatever reason. You know they can ensure that the children are being fed at school.”

Flarisee said that before her kids were meal-shamed, they were at a different school previously, which fell under the CEP. She said it eliminated any embarrassment or stigma around getting a free lunch when everyone in the school automatically gets one.

“Students, they’re not dumb. They know what it means for someone to have free and reduced lunch. So honestly, it really took the burden off. It took some of the shame away,” said Flarisee,

The law took effect upon the governor’s signature and will be in effect next year, provided the federal school lunch program remains funded and intact.