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H.R. 5655: No Shame at School Act of 2025

This bill, titled the No Shame at School Act of 2025, aims to amend the existing Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to address issues surrounding unpaid school meal fees and to reduce stigma associated with such debt among students. Here are the key provisions of the bill:

Mandatory Certification for Free or Reduced-Price Meals

The bill proposes that local educational agencies (schools) must mandatorily certify students for free or reduced-price meals. This means that schools are required to take action to identify and assist students who qualify for these meal programs without leaving it to the discretion of school officials.

Retroactive Reimbursement for Meal Claims

Schools will be allowed to revise previously submitted meal claims to reflect a child's eligibility for free or reduced-price meals, retroactively to the beginning of the current school year. This helps ensure schools get reimbursed for meals served to eligible students.

Reducing Stigma Associated with Unpaid Meal Fees

The bill sets forth multiple measures to reduce the stigma regarding unpaid meal fees:

Schools cannot overtly identify or segregate students based on their status as a covered child (i.e., a child who is eligible for free or reduced-price meals).
The bill prohibits schools from using special tokens, announcements, or lists to identify students who owe unpaid fees.
Communication about unpaid meal fees cannot be directed to children, nor can schools withhold educational opportunities based on meal debt.
Food that has already been served to a student cannot be taken away due to unpaid meal fees.

Eligibility Determination and Support

If a household has unpaid meal fees, local agencies are required to:

Attempt to directly certify the child for free meals.
If direct certification is not possible, provide the household with applications and support to complete them.

Definition of Key Terms

The bill defines the covered child as a child enrolled in a participating school who is a member of a household with unpaid meal fees or is eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. It also defines unpaid school meal fees as outstanding fees owed by a household to a local educational agency for meals provided under the program.

Goal of the Legislation

The overarching goal of the legislation is to create a more supportive environment in schools, ensuring that students are not stigmatized or discriminated against due to their financial circumstances, while also ensuring that schools are adequately reimbursed for meals served to eligible students.