School lunches are too expensive, and they’re getting more expensive by the year. Children shouldn’t go hungry because they can’t afford to pay for school lunches. The government should pay to help support our kids, especially if the parents are struggling financially.

According to Fargo Public Schools, lunch costs $2.30 per child. That doesn't seem like much, but that adds up to $403 over the course of a school year, per child. In 2007, school lunch prices were only $1.68 per child, that's only a 60 cent increase, but that adds up to $107 extra dollars a year per child.

I qualify for the Free and Reduced lunch program, but some people were just under the requirement. Growing up in a family of 7, the requirement wasn't that high. But for a friend that was in a household of 3, his household was just below the line, and they still couldn't afford to pay for the school lunch. He brought his own lunch from home, or went hungry for the day.

I think that the government should adjust the free and reduced lunch program to give some leeway to their applicants so if I'm $50 short monthly, I should still be able to be accepted. It would allow kids that normally go hungry to have the food and nutrients they need to be active in the day. Schools could also lower their lunch prices to accommodate for those kids that need the extra support, instead of continuing to increase prices over the years. Schools get enough income from other sources; they shouldn't have to make kids suffer just for a few extra bucks.