BRATTLEBORO-Gov. Phil Scott has proposed eliminating Vermont's successful universal school meals program.
As a parent and paraeducator working in the Windham Southeast School District, I see firsthand the importance of offering children meals during the school day. I think it is common sense to most folks that kids need to be properly fed to be able to learn, which is what they are in school to do.
It makes very little sense to put obstacles in the way of the growth and development of children, but that is what ending universal school meals would do.
Ending the program would mean returning to a two-tiered system where some students pay for lunch and others do not. This has been proven to cause some low-income kids and families to choose not to accept free food because of the stigma associated with it.