[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 67 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 67

Expressing the sense of the Senate that providing breakfast in schools 
through the national school breakfast program has a positive impact on 
      the lives and classroom performance of low-income children.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 5, 2009

   Mr. Feingold (for himself, Mr. Kohl, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Durbin, Mr. 
   Casey, Mr. Burris, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Chambliss, Mr. Kerry, Mr. 
  Bennet, Mr. Begich, Mr. Bayh, and Mr. Dodd) submitted the following 
             resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the Senate that providing breakfast in schools 
through the national school breakfast program has a positive impact on 
      the lives and classroom performance of low-income children.

Whereas participants in the school breakfast program established by section 4 of 
        the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1773) include public, 
        private, elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as schools in 
        rural, suburban, and urban areas;
Whereas access to nutrition programs such as the school lunch program, 
        established under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 
        U.S.C. 1751 et seq.) and the national school breakfast program helps to 
        create a stronger learning environment for children and improves 
        children's concentration in the classroom;
Whereas missing breakfast and the resulting hunger has been shown to harm the 
        ability of children to learn and to hinder academic performance;
Whereas students who eat a complete breakfast have been shown to make fewer 
        mistakes and to work faster in math exercises than those who eat a 
        partial breakfast;
Whereas implementing or improving classroom breakfast programs has been shown to 
        increase breakfast consumption among eligible students dramatically, 
        doubling, and in some cases, tripling numbers of participants in school 
        breakfast programs, as evidenced by research in Minnesota, New York, and 
        Wisconsin;
Whereas providing breakfast in the classroom has been shown in several instances 
        to improve attentiveness and academic performance, while reducing 
        absences, tardiness, and disciplinary referrals;
Whereas studies suggest that eating breakfast closer to the time students arrive 
        in the classroom and take tests improves the students' performance on 
        standardized tests;
Whereas studies show that students who skip breakfast are more likely to have 
        difficulty distinguishing among similar images, show increased errors, 
        and have slower memory recall;
Whereas children who live in families that experience hunger are likely to have 
        lower math scores, receive more special education services, and face an 
        increased likelihood of repeating a grade;
Whereas making breakfast widely available in different venues or in a 
        combination of venues, such as by providing breakfast in the classroom, 
        in the hallways outside classrooms, or to students as they exit their 
        school buses, has been shown to lessen the stigma of receiving free or 
        reduced-price school breakfasts, which stigma sometimes prevents 
        eligible students from obtaining traditional breakfast in the cafeteria;
Whereas in fiscal year 2008, 8,520,000 students in the United States consumed 
        free or reduced-price school breakfasts provided under the national 
        school breakfast program;
Whereas less than half of the low-income students who participate in the 
        national school lunch program also participate in the national school 
        breakfast program;
Whereas at least 16,000 schools that participate in the national school lunch 
        program do not participate in the national school breakfast program;
Whereas in fiscal year 2008, 60 percent of school lunches served, and 80 percent 
        of school breakfasts served, were served to students who qualified for 
        free or reduced-priced meals;
Whereas the current economic situation, including the increase of nearly 3 
        percent in the national unemployment rate in 2008, is causing more 
        families to struggle to feed their children and to turn to schools for 
        assistance;
Whereas studies suggest that children who eat breakfast take in more nutrients, 
        such as calcium, fiber, protein, and vitamins A, E, D, and B-6;
Whereas studies show that children who participate in school breakfast programs 
        eat more fruits, drink more milk, and consume less saturated fat than 
        those who do not eat breakfast;
Whereas children who do not eat breakfast, either in school or at home, are more 
        likely to be overweight than children who eat a healthful breakfast on a 
        daily basis; and
Whereas March 2 through March 6, 2009, is National School Breakfast Week: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes the importance of the school breakfast 
        program established under section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act 
        of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1773) and the positive impact of the program 
        on the lives of low-income children and families and on 
        children's overall classroom performance;
            (2) expresses strong support for States that have 
        successfully implemented school breakfast programs in order to 
        alleviate hunger and improve the test scores and grades of 
        participating students;
            (3) encourages all States to strengthen their school 
        breakfast programs, provide incentives for the expansion of 
        school breakfast programs, and promote improvements in the 
        nutritional quality of breakfasts served;
            (4) recognizes the need to provide States with resources to 
        improve the availability of adequate and nutritious breakfasts;
            (5) recognizes the impact of nonprofit and community 
        organizations that work to increase awareness of, and access 
        to, breakfast programs for low-income children; and
            (6) recognizes that National School Breakfast Week helps 
        draw attention to the need for, and success of, the national 
        school breakfast program.
                                 <all>