Petition now active calling for ALL Scots schoolchildren to get free food for lunch

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A bid to try and get parliamentary action on free school meals for all schoolchildren has finally gone live.Renfrewshire Labour Councillor Alison Ann-Dowling wants people in the area to sign and share the online petition to get the issue thrust into the Holyrood debating chamber.She announced the campaign in September for the radical expansion of the existing free lunches scheme for younger primary pupils.Cllr Ann-Dowling revealed yesterday the petition is now open, calling for free grub from nursery to the end of secondary.She said: “This is in response to school day hunger and the cost of living crisis.Don't miss the latest headlines from around Renfrewshire.

Sign up to our newsletters here.“It is clear more needs to be done and the Scottish Government needs to know this.“Urgent action is needed at a national level to tackle child and young person’s food poverty in Scotland.“No child should go through the school day hungry.”The councillor, who represents Houston, Crosslee and Linwood, said a blanket, universal policy was needed, not just the current Primary 1-5 age group.She said free school meals for all pupils would also remove the stigma of difference as some who are eligible dont want to.Some low-income families are not entitled to free meals as they’re just over the threshold to qualify.Cllr Ann-Dowling said: “Food poverty is sometimes hidden within schools, especially with secondary school age pupils.

Whilethe current free school dinner provision is intended to expand to include older primary children, no such expansion is planned to include children attending secondary school.“But hunger doesn’t recognise an age limit, therefore the Scottish Government should not discriminate against tackling school day hunger