Students in Brooklyn and Staten Island snapped photos of their unappetizing school lunches.
Photos courtesy of Iwen Chu District Office
State Sen. Iwen Chu is calling on Mayor Eric Adams to immediately address the decline in quality of public school lunches due to budget cuts, amid concerns that students are going hungry and the impact a poor diet has on their learning abilities.
The state representative for southern Brooklyn said her office has received a litany of complaints from parents about the standard of food being served up in the city’s public schools following the $60 million cut made to the Education Department’s budget by the Adams administration in November.
Parents of Brooklyn Tech High School, Staten Island Tech High School, Murrow High School, and Midwood High School were among those who sent Chu photos of the “horrifying” lunches their children received, which include moldy produce and slapped up slop.
“It is unacceptable to see the quality of school lunches being provided to our students. No student should be presented with moldy, unappetizing, slimy, and incomplete food options,” said Chu, condemning city officials who she says are leaving students with no choice but to starve so the city can save on costs.
“Insufficient meals harm a child’s memory, concentration, motor skills, energy, and overall mood. For students facing food insecurity, they rely on free or reduced fee school lunches that can provide them with nutrition and protein,” she added.
On Feb. 19, Chu penned a letter to Adams and NYC Public Schools Chancellor David Banks demanding urgent action to improve the quality of lunches as the students “entrusted caretakers.”
“As a public school mother, I’m appalled by the substandard quality of food being served to our children,” Chu wrote. “NYC Public Schools must step up and give equal importance to both. The thought of our children going hungry is beyond unacceptable. I urge you…
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