District 5 Council Member Shayla Adams-Stafford has paid off more than $60,000 in school lunch debt for families of Prince George’s County Public School students in her district. Students benefitting from the donation attend Charles H. Flowers High School, Thomas G. Pullen K-8 Creative and Performing Arts, Legends Public Charter, Judith P. Hoyer Montessori, and Glenarden Woods Elementary.
“If you can imagine getting a letter saying you owe $700, $800, $900, or more in lunch debt, that can be very scary for families,” said Council Member Adams-Stafford, a former member of the PGCPS Board of Education. “I believe no child should have to choose between going hungry or racking up a school lunch debt. Our students deserve to be able to focus on their classes and schoolwork.”
PGPCS parents, cumulatively, owe more than $1 million in debt for school lunches. Around 70% of PGCPS students qualify for free or reduced lunches. Many of the remaining 30% are just above the qualification point, forcing their parents to strain to be able to afford school lunches.
With the donation, Council Member Adams-Stafford hopes to inspire other businesses, organizations, and community members to donate to the Excellence in Education Foundation for PGCPS, Inc. to help alleviate the strain these debts place on parents.
“On behalf of our board of directors and school leadership, I want to express sincere gratitude to Council Member Adams-Stafford,” said Dr. Thea Wilson, Executive Director, Excellence in Education Foundation for PGCPS, Inc. “This gift goes well beyond just paying for meals. It helps ease the burden for parents, allowing them to be more present in their kids’ lives without worrying about a massing debt cloud hanging over them, and it allows kids to be kids, without having to worry about how their parents will pay for their school meals.”