Similarly, high school students also went outside the cafeteria to purchase snacks and soft drinks. Increasing student meal participation is important to a school district because it not only increases a district's federal reimbursements for every student who participates, but helps ensure that more students receive adequate nutrition as directed by the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs. Barriers to meal participation in BISD cafeterias include long serving lines, lack of variety in menus, poor food quality and inadequate facilities prohibiting the sales of some items. Additionally, appropriate signage is not in place to enable students to make selections before they get in lunch lines. Teachers have been observed breaking in line and then complaining about the prices they pay for the food.
Coffee is served at some schools for the teachers and is to be paid for using an honor system.
Many teachers do not pay. Exhibit 8-9 shows participation rates of BISD and its peer districts. BISD ranked second in breakfast participation in 1999-2000, and fourth in lunch participation. Texas Education Agency. Eliminate operational barriers and implement new programs to increase meal participation.