HR0398LRB099 11981 GRL 34523 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, More than 15% of Illinoisans struggle to provide
3enough food for their families and more than 22% of Illinois
4children are food insecure, meaning they do not have consistent
5access to adequate food; and
 
6    WHEREAS, In the 2013-2014 school year, Illinois dropped
7from 36th to 40th in the nation in school breakfast
8participation; the State provided only 36.2% of Free and
9Reduced Price eligible children with federally-funded school
10breakfasts and left $90.4 million in unclaimed federal funding
11for school breakfast; the State also achieved school breakfast
12participation rates of 70% or higher in only four of the 100
13largest school districts; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Children in food-insecure households are less
15likely to have access to nutritious food that supplies the
16nutrients required for healthy brain development; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Low-income children who eat school breakfast have
18better overall diet quality than those who eat breakfast
19elsewhere or skip breakfast; and
 
20    WHEREAS, School breakfast participation is associated with
21a lower body mass index (BMI, an indicator of excess body fat),

 

 

HR0398- 2 -LRB099 11981 GRL 34523 r

1lower probability of overweight, and lower probability of
2obesity; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Eating breakfast at school is associated with
4positive behavioral outcomes, such as lower rates of chronic
5absenteeism, fewer classroom disruptions and less frequent
6visits to the nurse; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Alternative breakfast models, such as Breakfast
8in the Classroom or Grab N' Go breakfast, are proven models to
9boost school breakfast participation and related positive
10outcomes; and
 
11    WHEREAS, States across the nation have introduced
12legislation requiring schools with high Free and Reduced Price
13eligibility to provide an alternative model breakfast service;
14and
 
15    WHEREAS, The 1,376 schools throughout Illinois with 70% or
16higher Free and Reduced Price eligibility provided breakfast to
17only 45% of eligible students in the 2013-2014 school year; and
 
18    WHEREAS, If all Illinois schools with at least 70% Free and
19Reduced Price eligibility implemented alternative breakfast
20models and increased school breakfast participation to 70% of
21their students, an additional 106,726 students would receive

 

 

HR0398- 3 -LRB099 11981 GRL 34523 r

1breakfast every day; therefore, be it
 
2    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
3NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
4encourage schools participating in the School Breakfast
5Program, and schools with 70% or higher Free and Reduced Price
6meal eligibility in particular, to utilize alternative
7delivery models such as Breakfast in the Classroom and Grab n'
8Go to provide alternative breakfast models to all students at
9no cost; and be it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That we acknowledge the importance of increasing
11participation in school breakfast in Illinois schools and
12recognize that establishing State requirements for schools to
13participate in alternative breakfast models are the most
14effective means to increase school breakfast participation;
15and be it further
 
16    RESOLVED, That we urge the Illinois Commission to End
17Hunger's No Kid Hungry Working Group to provide the General
18Assembly with a report showing the impact of providing
19alternative breakfast models at all schools with an emphasis on
20schools that have 70% or higher Free and Reduced Price
21eligibility by November 4, 2015; and be it further
 
22    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be

 

 

HR0398- 4 -LRB099 11981 GRL 34523 r

1delivered to the Illinois Commission to End Hunger.