Austintown Schools' Free Lunch

Apparently there is a free lunch. Nothing is more symptomatic of our nation’s ills that the story that appeared on local television and in the Vindicator relating to Austintown School’s free lunch program. Enough is enough.

The Austintown Ministerial Association has announced, in conjunction with the Austintown School System, the school free lunch program will be extended past the school year to July 31 for those students who qualify for free lunches during the regular school year. The lunches will be distributed between the hours of 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM at Woodside Elementary Schools. The project will be operated by “staff” and volunteers. It is funded through the USDA (the United States Department of Agriculture).

The Austintown School Superintendant Doug Heuer was quoted by WKBN television as saying "So during the summer months, although those children still needed to have food supplements, the school district wasn't available to provide it." He stated that just under half of the systems 5000 students are either on a reduced or free lunch program. Again being quoted by WKBN, Pastor Rick Stauffer of Tabernacle Evangelical Presbyterian Church said: "There's money available given by the USDA. That money is there. We thought, well if we can tap that money, and provide these lunches for these kids, that that was the right thing to do."

Why is this the right thing to do? How much responsibility can parents pass on to the public sector for raising their children? Look, the function of the school system is to educate the students. The do-gooders of the world have morphed the schools into being a primary provider for the children…with extended school hours, with free breakfasts, with free lunches, with free pre-school, with personal aids for special needs children. In the middle of this mess, the average John or Jane is short shifted from the education which should be the primary focus of the schools. For what is the family responsible?

If these folks qualify for free lunches, would I be wrong in surmising that the families are already receiving assistance in the way of food stamps and other government programs? You mean to tell me that Mom and Dad cannot supply these kids with a peanut butter sandwich: total cost about 30 cents, if that? That’s what I got for lunch, and my folks weren’t poor.

Call me Scrooge, but this goes way beyond providing nutrition to children. It represents another step in shifting the responsibility in raising children from the parent(s) to the public sector. What does this teach those kids? It teaches them that Mom (and Dad if there is one) would rather see the school provide for the kids than the family. Why not just keep them there for dinner and provide free babysitting service for the entire afternoon?

I know that there are truly needy folks among us, and we should do all we can to help these folks. But I have a problem with ½ of the school system’s student population qualifying for free meals from a nanny state through the summer rather than food for nutrition and the soul at home with their families. I simply don’t believe that the families of 48% of the students in that system can’t afford lunch for their kids during the summer.

And folks, these aren’t hungry 5 year olds. You qualify up to the age of 19 years old, when these adults should be looking for a summer job rather than a free lunch.

Thus another generation learning the definition of entitlements.