Is fifteen minutes sufficient for a lunch break? Including the time it takes to walk to the cafeteria and wait in queue for food, that is the usual time Utah schools allot for kids to eat.
According to Rep. Tiara Auxier, R-Morgan, who spoke at the first meeting of the Education Interim Committee of the year on Wednesday, “that’s a big deal for many parents and children.”
She also urged the committee to look into extending the lunch break in public schools.
Auxier continued to consider unresolved issues, particularly the timing issue she faced with her children, as her colleagues passed a House bill this year that would make school lunch free for students who qualify for reduced-priced meals.
“One of my biggest concerns was that we were going to be putting a lot of money into this program, and the kids still weren’t going to be able to eat them,” Auxier stated. “We heard so many times about full trash cans and kids just being rushed out.”
The committee unanimously decided to add a review of lunchtime policies and best practices to its list of interim study items and audits, despite some lawmakers acknowledging that the idea might be difficult to implement.
Though she expressed concern about how the extension of the lunch break might impact current laws requiring specific time minimums for core subjects, educator Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights, said this is a positive step.
Teachers also voiced this concern to the committee’s chair, Rep. Candice Pierucci, R-Herriman.
“They usually say, ‘well, we just don’t have time, right? You’ve got to pack everything in.’” Pierucci stated. “So that should be a part of this discussion.”
Schools should give students at least 20 minutes of seat time so they can eat and interact with one another, according to the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
That excludes the time it takes them to walk to their tables and bus trays after meals, wait in queue and use the lavatory and wash their hands.
“About half of school districts nationwide do not require or recommend that schools give students at least 20 minutes to eat, once they receive their meal,” according to the CDC’s website. “Some students report that insufficient time to eat is a key reason for not participating in the school lunch program.”
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Similar guidelines are found in the Utah State Board of Education’s Health and Wellness Policy, which mandates that schools serve breakfast for at least ten minutes and lunch for twenty minutes, “excluding time to arrive at the cafeteria and waiting in queue.” Lawmakers pointed out that it appears that not all schools are following the guidance.
Other study items that the committee is prioritising as of Wednesday include the Department of Education and other federal programs under the new administration, any developments regarding universities’ plans to reallocate 10% of their budget for courses, the review of disciplinary actions taken against school employees, and remedies for chronic absenteeism.
