Dayton Wants Money to Help Students Pay for Lunch

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Gov. Mark Dayton says the state should provide additional funding to ensure all Minnesota schoolchildren have access to lunch after a report found some districts deny it.

Dayton says Tuesday that no Minnesota student should be blocked from having a healthy lunch. A report released a day earlier by Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid found 46 school districts have policies denying lunch to students who don't have sufficient funds to pay for meals.

The report found in some districts, lunchroom workers threw meals in the trash if students couldn't pay.

Dayton says he will propose spending $3.5 million to help districts cover lunch costs for students who can't pay. In addition, his education commissioner has urged districts to take steps necessary in order to make sure all students receive a lunch.