Certainly in an ideal world these would be the responsibilities of every adult. But educators are the lucky adults. Teachers have a captive audience that is young and formative. They have a real possibility of impacting ideas in students that may be the catalyst for change in a person who will be our next doctor, minister or president. Schools do not solve societal problems but human beings do.
Schools can only provide the tools, ideas and choices.
I do not know if schools can successfully do either. We can talk about problematic issues in schools, but as Courtney said, the teacher's opinions and concerns may conflict with the parents' views. We can offer aid to students, like the mentioned reduced lunch and breakfast programs. However, as many responses stated, schools cannot help hungry students when they go home. While I am unsure if anyone can truly solve society's problems, I am sure that schools and teachers can offer guidance and assistance to students who are dealing with these issues.