Jokes about “mystery meat” and square pizza for lunch have been staples among schoolkids for decades. But when some Decatur students were recently faced with the prospect of getting cheese sandwiches instead of hot meals, school lunch became no laughing matter.
“City Schools of Decatur has accumulated $88,000 in unpaid lunch fees since 2022,” the AJC’s Cassidy Alexander wrote in a Jan. 25 article .
A grant from the Arby’s Foundation paid the kids’ debt in full so they could continue receiving hot lunches. Once again, though, the issue of making sure students get nutritious meals at school was back in the spotlight. That’s nothing new. In Atlanta, the debate over school lunches — not only regarding quality but cost — has made news since at least the early 1900s.
VIDEO: DEKALB SCHOOL LUNCH DEBT
Student lunch debt has been wiped out at Decatur schools after community, company donations.
Credit: WSBTV Videos
“Superintendent William M. Slaton and women visitors to Atlanta public schools urge that hot lunches be served at recess to pupils as a safeguard to health,” a Sunday Journal magazine feature in the Feb. 1, 1914, edition stated.