III 

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 


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•SRES 67 ATS 

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 proVerDate Nov 24 2008 01:49 Mar 06, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR67.ATS SR67

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viding 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 reducedpriced 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; 


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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 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes the importance of the school 

3 breakfast program established under section 4 of the 

4 Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1773) and 

5 the positive impact of the program on the lives of 

6 low-income children and families and on children’s 

7 overall classroom performance; 

8 (2) expresses strong support for States that 

9 have successfully implemented school breakfast pro10 grams in order to alleviate hunger and improve the 

11 test scores and grades of participating students; 

12 (3) encourages all States to strengthen their 

13 school breakfast programs, provide incentives for the 

14 expansion of school breakfast programs, and pro15 mote improvements in the nutritional quality of 

16 breakfasts served; 

17 (4) recognizes the need to provide States with 

18 resources to improve the availability of adequate and 

19 nutritious breakfasts; 

20 (5) recognizes the impact of nonprofit and com21 munity organizations that work to increase awareVerDate Nov 24 2008 01:49 Mar 06, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR67.ATS SR67

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•SRES 67 ATS 

1 ness of, and access to, breakfast programs for low2 income children; and 

3 (6) recognizes that National School Breakfast 

4 Week helps draw attention to the need for, and suc5 cess of, the national school breakfast program. 

Æ 


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