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Lawmakers Looking To End 'Lunch Shaming'

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Lawmakers are working to take action aimed at ending the practice known as "lunch shaming."

This issue made headlines in our area after a school cafeteria worker quit her job claiming she was forced to take hot meals away from students with unpaid lunch bills.

State Sen. Jay Costa has introduced a bill that would prohibit lunch shaming. The senator calls the practice unconscionable.

Senate Bill 709 would require school districts to serve meals to all children and schools would reach out to those families in need. This bill would prevent schools from marking or humiliating children whose families owe money.

Last fall KDKA reported about a cafeteria worker at Wylandville Elementary School who said she resigned because she was forced to take hot lunches away from students in an effort to crack down on unpaid bills.

Earlier this week, Sen. Bob Casey joined other United States senators to push for a bill that would bar schools from lunch shaming.

That bill would not require schools to extend credit to families in need. However, it would make the process of applying for free or reduced meals much easier.

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