More Alabama students qualify for free, reduced lunches

More Alabama students are qualifying for free and reduced school lunch programs, as the weak economy has plunged more families into poverty and as methods of identifying students who qualify for the program have improved.

According to the Alabama Department of Education, 428,068 Alabama school children receive free and reduced price lunches this year, up from 383,555 in 2006.

Malissa Valdes-Hubert, a spokesperson for the Alabama Department of Education, said school systems have implemented better methods of identifying students who qualify for free and reduced lunch benefits, gaining access to court system and food stamp program information.

Valdes-Hubert said an evaluation of the foster care program alone found about 6,000 students who qualified for assistance.

Valdes-Hubert said while the total number of students on free and reduced lunch have increased, the number of students receiving reduced lunch prices has actually decreased and the number of students qualifying for free lunch has grown. She said reduced lunch students are likely moving to the free lunch rolls as their parents struggle in a weak economy.

Education advocates view the free and reduced lunch program as important to ensuring that students get the nutrition they need to be able to learn and develop.

Diane Pratt-Heavner, a spokesperson for the School Nutrition Association, said making sure students are adequately fed helps ensure that they're ready to learn and cuts down on misbehavior.

Alabama free and reduced lunch numbers

Year             Free lunch       Reduced lunch
2006-07       319,456         64,099
2007-08       315,233         63,447
2008-09       318,337         60,564
2009-10       329,251         60,050
2010-11       354,706         56,413
2011-12       379,343         48,725