The Pennsylvania Cancel Lunch Debt Coalition seeks to eliminate school students’ meal debt and the system that continues it. Students accumulate lunch debt by receiving meals at school that they are unable to pay for. Regardless of why students cannot pay for school meals, they deserve to eat without feeling the crushing weight of debt. Until school meals are available for all, regardless of household income, lunch debt will continue to exist. We seek complete cancellation of this unjust debt and fight for universal school meals to prevent students from accruing debt in the future.
We need statewide power to affect any legislative decisions that permanently create a universal school meals program and cancel existing lunch debt in Pennsylvania. Our project is part of a larger one to improve the lives of our community members and create a truly equitable and public school system. We bring together educators, school workers, students, their families, and residents of Pennsylvania. We are made up of both unaffiliated individuals and local organizations dedicated to the mission.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania must eliminate school meal debt for all public school students and ensure there is no way for re-accrual by implementing universal school meals. Public education is compulsory and should not cost us anything. We demand a debt-free education in all forms and refuse to allow the concept of debt to be normalized for children.
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Towards the end of the 19th century, with the advent of the New Liberalism and the innovative work of Charles
