New State Law Creates Issues in Lunch Line
By Sydney Teves and Ariella Just Milender
By Sydney Teves and Ariella Just Milender
With the new year in full swing and a new state law requiring free lunches for all, there has been an increase in students waiting in the lunch lines for food, causing frustration among many of the other students.
On July 9, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Free School Meals for All Act of 2021 (SB-364) into state law. This expanded the previously reduced meal program for low-income families into a free program for all students.
At Pioneer specifically, there has been a major increase of students receiving food, almost two times the amount since the law was passed and the school body returned to campus. As the lines have increased, so has the number of people skipping the line, putting other students who had been waiting even further back in the line.
With students not being able to get the pick they want, this could negatively impact how much they are eating at brunch and lunch, meaning they still may go hungry as a result. This could also affect students with dietary restrictions, for example, meatless food is usually chosen first so there may not be food that students, such as vegans and vegetarians, can eat which in effect also could result in students going hungry. Doesn’t this defeat the purpose of the bill? Kids will continue to go hungry because they cannot get the food that fits their needs.
This current situation is not viable for the future of the Pioneer’s lunch lines. With just 10 minutes for brunch and 30 minutes for lunch, people cutting the line have caused others to end up receiving their food at the end of break or lunch. In years prior, the cafeteria line was broken into two separate lines so that a few students were allowed to enter at a time from each line, which made the process more efficient. Last year Pioneer lost a campus supervisor, according to Assistant Principal of Discipline Tim Gavello, so the administration team is still working out how to best handle the situation. They have placed a campus supervisor at the front of the lunch line and one at the back to oversee the line and hopefully reduce the number of students cutting.
In order to start controlling the line and return it to how it was in former years, Pioneer administration needs to take swift action, with a possible option being the school setting up cones or ropes on either side of the line to keep the process smooth, organized and harder for people to cut. Without improvements implemented, students will continue to cut cafeteria lines and possibly cause other students to go hungry, completely defeating the purpose of the bill.
On July 9, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Free School Meals for All Act of 2021 (SB-364) into state law. This expanded the previously reduced meal program for low-income families into a free program for all students.
At Pioneer specifically, there has been a major increase of students receiving food, almost two times the amount since the law was passed and the school body returned to campus. As the lines have increased, so has the number of people skipping the line, putting other students who had been waiting even further back in the line.
With students not being able to get the pick they want, this could negatively impact how much they are eating at brunch and lunch, meaning they still may go hungry as a result. This could also affect students with dietary restrictions, for example, meatless food is usually chosen first so there may not be food that students, such as vegans and vegetarians, can eat which in effect also could result in students going hungry. Doesn’t this defeat the purpose of the bill? Kids will continue to go hungry because they cannot get the food that fits their needs.
This current situation is not viable for the future of the Pioneer’s lunch lines. With just 10 minutes for brunch and 30 minutes for lunch, people cutting the line have caused others to end up receiving their food at the end of break or lunch. In years prior, the cafeteria line was broken into two separate lines so that a few students were allowed to enter at a time from each line, which made the process more efficient. Last year Pioneer lost a campus supervisor, according to Assistant Principal of Discipline Tim Gavello, so the administration team is still working out how to best handle the situation. They have placed a campus supervisor at the front of the lunch line and one at the back to oversee the line and hopefully reduce the number of students cutting.
In order to start controlling the line and return it to how it was in former years, Pioneer administration needs to take swift action, with a possible option being the school setting up cones or ropes on either side of the line to keep the process smooth, organized and harder for people to cut. Without improvements implemented, students will continue to cut cafeteria lines and possibly cause other students to go hungry, completely defeating the purpose of the bill.