North Dakota families can face debt collections if they can’t afford school lunch
BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) - Every K-12 student has the legal right to receive a lunch at school in North Dakota without any stigma or shaming. But students and families who can’t afford to pay can still have long-term consequences, and some students may choose to go hungry to avoid them. There are more than two dozen school districts that reported referring parents to debt collection agencies for unpaid lunch debt, according to a state survey. At least one district withholds transcripts from students who haven’t paid off their account balance. Both types of policies are legal in North Dakota. State law requires school districts to provide a meal to any student who requests one even if they lack the funds to pay for it. Legislation passed in 2023 known as the anti-lunch shaming bill prohibits schools from identifying or stigmatizing students for unpaid meal debts, and bans…