In Response to "No Kid Hungry"

I would like to take this opportunity to both commend Ms. Murken and throw a couple comments her way as well. I can appreciate the initiative which Texas has joined in feeding kids at school for free, however this can lead to a bigger problem on the home front. My son gets free breakfast at his school because more than 50% percent of the students at his school live in a family who lives below the national poverty level and I commend the school for doing this. But, if they were to give away free breakfast and lunch to kids who could not afford it, then even the families that could afford it would try to find a way to get if for their kids as well.

We make a pretty good living and I don't mind paying a little more for my kid to eat lunch at school because we can afford it. I would think though if the school was going to offer a free lunch there are the families teetering on the bubble that would find a way to qualify. Also, I believe every child should be afforded the right to go to school and be treated equally, but kids are the meanest little things on earth when they see the chance to make fun another kid or hurt someone’s feelings. On the other front, if a parent truly needs their kid to eat for free what are they doing to remedy the situation? I know the job market is horrid right now, but if your kid needs to eat, then we have to make some sacrifices along the way. Don't we as a state throw enough money toward the needy and less fortunate without taking more from the ones who do have means?

Ms. Murken, thank you for bringing this article to light and I hope the kids who really need the free lunch get them and those that don’t need it never find a way to take advantage of the system, but I already know the sneaky ones will find a way.