The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is championing breakfast like never before.
This school year, the district is expanding its sweeping Breakfast in the Classroom (BIC) program, a program meant to provide breakfast to all students regardless of qualification for the reduced lunch ticket program.
According to the LAUSD website, “In Los Angeles County, 1.7 million people live in poverty … [in] households where families face a constant struggle against hunger.” The district hopes to involve more students in the breakfast program with funds provided by the Los Angeles Fund for Public Education, the LA County Department of Public Health’s Choose LA Initiative and other community programs.
“It’s a [worthy] attempt to get more students involved in the cafeteria program,” LA Center for Enriched Studies (LACES) senior Alice Choi said. “It can reach more people [like] those who miss breakfast because they come in tardy or those busy at nutrition time.”
LAUSD is offering schools the freedom to determine how they will distribute lunches. In schools such as LACES, the details are still in the process of being determined. Even so, the program is expected to run in all LAUSD schools shortly.
However, some students think that simply providing and promoting school breakfast misses the point.
“It will probably reach more students, but I don’t think LAUSD will reach its target,” Choi continued. “The reason why so many people don’t eat cafeteria food is because it tastes bad, or [doesn’t appeal] to them some way. [The new policy] won’t change how students feel about the quality of the food they’re being given.”
Even so, LAUSD says its decision to implement the BIC program is based on studies proving the benefits and sustainability of having breakfast available in the classrooms for all students.
