Proposal seeks to end prevalence of 'meal shaming' in US public schools

BOSTON - Working in an elementary school cafeteria, Wendy Timmons said all she wanted to do was serve children a hot lunch and put smiles on their faces.

But if a student's family fell behind in paying their school meal account, the smile could quickly turn to tears.

"I had to ask them if they have any money," Timmons said. "If they didn't have any money, I had to take the meal away, and hold up my hands in the shape of a C," a signal that instructed the server to prepare an "alternative" lunch for the child, generally a cold cheese sandwich.