RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Rutherford County Schools (RCS) is among districts statewide that returned to no longer serving free meals when a pandemic-era federal program ended. The district’s bad meal debt is nearing half a million dollars so far this school year.
“We give meals to prisoners, but we cannot even give them to our own kids, which, to me, is just an absolute travesty,” said state Rep. Kevin Raper (R-Bradley County), a longtime educator. “We have to find a way to feed these kids so that then optimal learning can take place.”
According to Feeding America, one in eight Tennessee children face hunger. A nonprofit organization, the Tennessee Justice Center, posted on social media, “School meals are a first-line response to this crisis. With the support of the Tennessee Justice Center and partners, legislation has been filed that could make school meals accessible to all students at no cost to their families!”
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