DENVER — Some Colorado students say there’s not enough time to eat lunch at school. A new bill would reevaluate that.
HB24-1301, also known as the "time-to-eat" bill, would create a task force to evaluate school district and school policies on lunch times.
Students recently attended a hearing on the bill at the Colorado State Capitol to share their experiences with current school lunch times and the effects they are noticing in the classroom.
“I can sometimes — I even just hear my stomach growling. And it’s just really a lot of anxiety,” Anyelin Alejandra, a senior at Rocky Mountain Prep SMART, said.
Students like Anyelin testified that part of the problem stems from school lunch lines.
This is the first year that all students receive free lunches after a measure making school lunches free passed in 2022.
Because of this, students say lines at school have gotten longer— causing them to spend most of their lunchtime waiting in line.
Anyelin told Denver7 she usually only has 5-10 minutes to eat once she gets her food.
Advocates have been working closely with lawmakers who proposed the bill to figure out the best solution to this problem.
“We did have a conversation of does a mandate make sense, and truly, with how unique every school district is, in every school, the idea of a task force is going to help our state find the best policies that will work for everyone,” Greta Allen, policy director for Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger, said.
The bill passed the House Education Committee with a 10-1 vote.
If signed into law, the task force would be implemented by January 1, 2025, and would have recommendations ready by end of February.
