IV 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 143 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the school 

breakfast program. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 9, 2013 

Ms. MOORE submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Education and the Workforce 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives 

regarding the school breakfast program. 

Whereas participants in the school breakfast program established by section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 include public, private, elementary, middle, and high 

schools, as well as rural, suburban, and urban schools; 

Whereas school breakfast programs were developed across the 

Nation in response to a simple problem, too many children were going to school without breakfast or without 

a nutritionally adequate breakfast; 

Whereas in the 2011 to 2012 school year, approximately 

12,530,000 students in 89,666 schools participated in the 

school breakfast program on a typical day; 


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•HRES 143 IH 

Whereas in the 2011 to 2012 school year, approximately 

10,500,000 low-income children in the United States consumed free or reduced price school breakfasts on an average school day; 

Whereas in the 2011 to 2012 school year, 91.2 percent of 

schools that participated in the school lunch program established under the Richard B. Russell National School 

Lunch Act also participated in the school breakfast program; 

Whereas for every 100 children receiving free and reduced 

price lunches, approximately 50.4 children receive free 

and reduced price breakfasts; 

Whereas in the 2011 to 2012 school year, 84 percent of 

school breakfasts served, were served to students who 

qualified for free or reduced priced meals; 

Whereas if 70 low-income children ate breakfast for every 

100 children who ate lunch, an additional 4,100,000 lowincome children would eat school breakfast; 

Whereas implementing or improving classroom breakfast programs has been shown to increase the participation of eligible students in breakfast consumption dramatically, 

doubling, and in some cases tripling numbers, as evidenced by research conducted in the States of Minnesota, 

New York, and Wisconsin; 

Whereas making breakfast widely available through different 

venues or combinations, such as in the classroom after 

the morning bell, obtained as students exit a school bus, 

or outside the classroom, has been shown to lessen the 

stigma of receiving free or reduced price breakfasts, 

which often deters eligible students from obtaining traditional breakfasts in the cafeteria; 


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•HRES 143 IH 

Whereas providing free universal breakfasts, especially in the 

classroom, has been shown to significantly increase school 

breakfast participation rates and decrease absences and 

tardiness; 

Whereas studies have shown that access to nutritious meals 

under the school lunch program and the school breakfast 

program helps to create a strong learning environment 

for children and helps to improve the concentration of 

children in the classroom; 

Whereas providing breakfast in the classroom has been shown 

in several instances to improve attentiveness and academic performance, while reducing tardiness and disciplinary referrals; 

Whereas students who eat a complete breakfast have been 

shown to make fewer mistakes and work faster in math 

exercises than students who eat a partial breakfast; 

Whereas studies suggest that eating breakfast closer to classroom and test-taking time improves student performance 

on standardized tests relative to students who skip breakfast; 

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 

have been shown to be more likely to have lower math 

scores, face an increased likelihood of repeating a grade, 

and receive more special education services; 

Whereas studies suggest that children who eat breakfast have 

more adequate nutrition and intake of nutrients, such as 

calcium, fiber, protein, and vitamins A, E, D, and B6; 


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•HRES 143 IH 

Whereas studies show that children who participate in school 

breakfast programs eat more fruits, drink more milk, and 

consume less saturated fat than children who do not eat 

breakfast; 

Whereas National School Breakfast Week is an annual occasion for everyone in the community to reflect on the importance and value of what breakfast in schools means 

for all children in the United States and is a time to 

renew the commitment to the idea that all children 

should be able to start the school day adequately fed and 

ready to learn; and 

Whereas March 4 through March 8, 2013, is National School 

Breakfast Week: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes the importance of the school 

3 breakfast program established by section 4 of the 

4 Child Nutrition Act of 1966 and the overall positive 

5 impact of the program on the lives of low-income 

6 children and families, as well as the effect of the 

7 program on helping to improve the overall classroom 

8 performance of a child; 

9 (2) expresses support for States that have suc10 cessfully implemented school breakfast programs in 

11 order to improve the test scores and grades of par12 ticipating students; 

13 (3) encourages States to— 

14 (A) strengthen school breakfast programs 

15 by improving access for students and making it 


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•HRES 143 IH 

1 a part of the school day through alternative 

2 models like breakfast in the classroom; 

3 (B) work towards meeting the goal set by 

4 the Food Research and Action Center of 70 

5 low-income children eating breakfast for every 

6 100 low-income children eating lunch; 

7 (C) promote improvements in the nutri8 tional quality of breakfasts served; and 

9 (D) inform students and parents of healthy 

10 nutritional and lifestyle choices; 

11 (4) recognizes that the Healthy, Hunger-Free 

12 Kids Act of 2010 and amendments made by that 

13 Act provide low-income children with greater access 

14 to a nutritious breakfast nationwide; 

15 (5) recognizes all the partners that help make 

16 successful school breakfast programs including non17 profit and community organizations that work to in18 crease awareness of, and access to, breakfast pro19 grams for low-income children; and 

20 (6) recognizes that National School Breakfast 

21 Week helps draw attention to the need for, and suc22 cess of, the school breakfast program. 

Æ 


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