The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has given schools 90 days from May 5 to comply with new rules about the Free and Reduced Priced Lunch (FRPL) and the Free Milk programs.
Schools are struggling with how to comply, knowing that if the programs aren’t offered, many children they enroll will go hungry.
That’s why WCRIS scheduled a webinar on the topic the minute the rule changes were announced to our schools, said WCRIS Executive Director Sharon Schmeling.
“The public is just finding out about this issue, which we’ve been working on since the beginning. We are grateful for the concern. Our schools enroll many needy children. The potential lack of free lunch is a problem for far too many families. Their children can’t learn if they’re hungry,” Schmeling said.
“We’re not really sure the rule makers intended to steal kids’ lunch or milk money, like a school yard bully. But that does seem to be the effect of all these rule changes,” said Schmeling.
“Our compliance efforts are trying to protect our schools’ time-worn religious beliefs. There’s nothing new in that. We’re the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Our schools are just trying to teach biblical values, to instill things like the 10 commandments, to help children understand God’s orderly world. These USDA rule changes thwart that,” Schmeling said.
In response, the legal team at the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) will provide our schools with helpful guidance during a WCRIS-hosted webinar.
The WCRIS webinar is a free service to member schools and will be held on June 14 at 1 p.m. You can read a summary of the webinar here.
Permission to attend the webinar and use its contents is granted to WCRIS member schools only. Non-members have no rights to access the program or to use the information provided. It is solely intended for the benefit of WCRIS members. Any other use is unauthorized.
