A Texas high school has sparked a heated debate online with their creation of a student “grocery store” that lets students trade in points to get food and other basic household items.
Linda Tutt High School in Sanger, Texas, launched the store in November in partnership with First Refuge Ministries, Texas Health Resources and the Albertsons grocery store chain. It carries basic pantry items, toiletries, meat and other household staples. Students aren’t required to pay cash for the items they need, but a trip to the store isn’t entirely free.
Students “purchase” items using points they earn based on need and by performing acts of service. Each week, kids get a certain number of points based on the size of their families, and they can earn additional points by completing “good deeds,” like mentoring younger students, working in the library and doing other odd jobs around the school.
Anthony Love, the principal at Linda Tutt, tells CNN that programs like the grocery store are needed because 43% of the district’s 2,750 students are “economically disadvantaged,” and 3.6% of students are considered homeless. The school’s grocery store idea has made national news, but many are taking issue with the concept of asking kids to exchange points or any other form of currency for things they truly can’t do without.
“So students born into poverty have to do nice things in order to have the necessities to live on? This is ridiculous,” one person writes. “How about a ‘free’ store where kids get what they need? How about some confidentiality and respect?”
Another person points out that kids living in poverty may not have the time or resources to perform tasks to earn extra points, even if they need additional items from the store.
“So the kids who have the least time, the least energy, who probably have either an after-school job or have to help at home so their adults can work double shifts, have to find time to do ‘extra’ at school too? Afford the kids some dignity and give according to need,” they write.
Others don’t see a problem with the point system the school has in place. They argue that the school is giving kids a way to take charge of a difficult situation. “It seems like it’s providing an opportunity for kids to legitimately help their families, when many students in [economically challenged] homes feel they have no power to help their situation,” they write. “This is in addition to free/reduced lunch/breakfast. It’s not like they’re teasing hungry kids with a carrot.”
On the school’s Facebook page, a representative for Linda Tutt High School is responding to some of the angry comments and clarifying the school’s policies. They explain that students’ points reset each week based on household size, and the points kids earn from doing good deeds are considered “extra.” They also stress that students learn responsible budgeting skills from managing their points, and no student is ever turned away or denied food.
“Most food pantries who give out free food always base the number of items given on the number of people in the household: a point system,” they write. “We do as well, and this is the first tier of the support we provide our families and community members.”
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, more kids than ever are in need. A federal ban on evictions expires at the end of December, which could leave thousands of families without a place to live. Additionally, researchers estimate the number of food insecure households with children in the U.S. has tripled since the pandemic started.
It’s admirable that school officials are trying to help struggling students, but this is a difficult time for so many families. Even if points earned by performing acts of service are considered “extra,” they still may be spent on items most would consider necessities. A to-do list of good deeds to earn extra help may be an added burden that hungry kids simply don’t need right now.
