The Bush administration is considering an audit of the national school lunch program to make sure that all the children receiving free and reduced-price lunches come from families that are truly low-income. The Department of Agriculture says about 28 million children get their lunch each day through the program, which cost .8 billion in 2002. A USDA study last year estimated that one in five children participating might be ineligible because the family's income is too high. USDA estimates that billion of the funding bought lunches for ineligible children. A family of four with an annual income of up to ,530 qualifies for free meals. Families that make ,485 qualify for reduced-price lunches costing up to 40 cents. Administration officials and lawmakers say they're trying to keep recipients honest while not scaring away needy families. What happens with the program won't just affect how many children receive free chicken nuggets, chocolate milk and canned fruit salad. States and school districts use the program figures to estimate poverty levels at schools, so the results also could affect the amount of government aid at all levels that makes its way down to struggling schools. Schools rely on parents to report their income but generally don't require proof. "When you start tightening up the scrutiny on these applications, families become fearful and they don't apply," says Gaye Lynn MacDonald of the school food service association. (Agencies) | 布什政府目前正在考慮審查全國校園午餐工程，核實是否所有享受免費和優惠午餐的孩子都來自名副其實的低收入家庭。 美國農業部統計，2002年共有2800萬學生每天吃到午餐工程提供的午餐，為此美國政府一年共支出68億美金。農業部的一份報告估計，去年有五分之一享受午餐福利的孩子實際上家庭收入過高而不夠資格，他們大概吃掉了10億美金。 如果一個四口之家年收入低于23，530美元，孩子就可以在學校吃到免費的午餐。而家庭年收入低于33，485美元的則可以吃到每份僅售40美分的低價午餐。 政府官員和立法者表示，他們希望所有申請該福利的人們都能誠實，但同時又不會嚇退那些真正需要的家庭。午餐工程的意義不僅在于有多少孩子能吃到免費的雞塊、巧克力牛奶和罐裝水果沙拉，它還可以反映出在校學生中有多少貧困生。因此午餐工程的統計數據還關系到那些經濟拮據的學校每年可以從政府領到多少補助金。 學校要求申請這一福利的家庭如實匯報自己的收入，但一般不要求出示證明。校園飲食服務協會的蓋伊·林恩·麥克唐納說："當學校開始詳細審查申請福利人的資格時，有些家庭就會害怕而不來申請了。" （中國日報網站譯） |
Updated: 2003-01-24 01:00
