海角大神

The plan seemed like something out of 鈥淥liver Twist,鈥� circa 2019. Students in Rhode Island鈥檚 Warwick School District who could not pay for lunch would instead be given cold 鈥渟un butter and jelly鈥� sandwiches (whatever those are). There is no word on whether those wanting seconds would be greeted by hair-netted servers yelling 鈥淢ore?鈥�

Nobody likes solutions like these. At its worst, it becomes 鈥渓unch-shaming鈥� 鈥� turning kids who can鈥檛 afford food into objects of derision. Elsewhere, students who can鈥檛 pay for lunch have had to wear wristbands or get hand stamps.

, however, shows the other side. Lunch debt is becoming a major concern as cash-strapped public schools struggle to meet budgets. What should they do?

In Warwick, the $77,000 deficit has prompted tens of thousands of dollars in donations from parents and philanthropists 鈥� including nearly $50,000 from yogurt-maker Chobani, . 鈥淣o child should be facing anything like this,鈥� said CEO Hamdi Ulukaya in a . 聽

At the moment, donations seem to be the only answer. The broader question is about what we expect a public education to provide. In many districts, teachers are paying for snacks and supplies . How does food fit into that calculus? Says one expert to The New Food Economy: 鈥淪chool meals are just as important to student success as textbooks and teachers in the classroom.鈥�

Now on to our five stories. They include a look at China鈥檚 emerging vision for Hong Kong, a Belize reef that could help save other reefs, and a different kind of memoir on race in America.聽