SAN BENITO, Texas — The newest item on the lunch menu at San Benito High School is a do-it-yourself salad bar that includes legumes, sweet pea sprouts, hard-boiled eggs and turkey bacon bits along with a heavy dose of personalization.
Last school year, 1,211 students qualified for free or reduced lunch but only 55 percent ate it every day. The district goal—outlined in a special meeting in October—is to reach 65 percent participation by giving students more ownership of what they eat.
“It's disgusting. They need to switch the pizza,” said Brenda Torres, 16, a junior at the high school, as she reflected on the lunches. “And when we get the teriyaki, the rice tastes nasty.”
The reasons are “complicated” that students aren't using free or reduced price meals, said Principal Todd Dearden. Statewide, there has been a steady decline in participation from elementary to high school, he said.
“I think high school kids want to do things on their own,” Dearden said.
Students receiving free or reduced price meals “pay” for meals by punching in a number at the register, the same way that students whose parents place money on accounts purchase lunch.
“There's no stigma attached to it now,” Dearden said. “No one knows whether you're free, reduced or you just have money on an account.”
But Jim Lewis, the food service supervisor who joined the district in July, believes students do feel singled out. By the time students are in high school, many are paying with cash, leaving those who punch-in account numbers standing out.
“A really big factor is feeling singled out. Like if they participate, other kids are thinking 'Oh, well they're poor,'” Lewis said. “There's like a stigmatism almost.”
Another component of the low participation might be that students are “bored” with the options, Lewis said. That's where surprises, such as a salad bar where students make their own meal, mix up the routine.
“I knew the salad bar would be popular,” Lewis said. “I had no idea how popular it would be.”
For Lewis, the goal is to take the same ingredients and market them in a way that makes students want to eat the school meals.