PGCPS Board of Education Passes the No More SHAME Act, authored by Board Member K. Alexander Wallace

Last night, during our Public Session, the Board of Education unanimously adopted my final initiative as your Board Member - Board Policy 5210: Prohibition of Systemic Meal Shaming Practices. This policy bans the degrading act of throwing away a hot meal given to a student simply because of a debt on their meal account balance and, instead shifts the conversation of financial responsibility away from our students, who are children as young as three years old, to adults, their parents or guardians.

This policy also includes language that directs the Chief Executive Officer to develop for Board consideration a universal meals program proposal for all elementary students so that, regardless of household income, there will be no costs passed along to them in their obtaining of a nutritious meal. Furthermore, it authorizes the establishment of a dedicated funding account through our school system's nonprofit, the Excellence in Education Foundation, to receive charitable donations to direct support efforts to tackle food insecurity throughout our system.

My thanks go out to my colleagues on the Board of Education for their support of this initiative, as they have conducted a full, thorough vetting of this measure to make sure it was, both, responsive to the needs of our students and families while also being fiscally responsible.

Both my full statement and the adopted Board Policy are linked below for reference.

Board Policy 5210.

Official Statement on the passage of Board Policy 5210.

Yours, in service,

K. Alexander Wallace

Board Member, Seventh District