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Tacoma schools start the year with high lunch debt

For the second year Washington state has outlawed lunch shaming. Now schools are seeing the unintended consequences from that with even more student lunch debt.

TACOMA, Wash. — A lingering issue is carrying on into the new school year for Tacoma Public Schools. 

For the second year in a row, Washington state has outlawed lunch shaming. Now, schools are seeing the unintended consequences from that with even more student lunch debt.

Tacoma Public Schools has about $130,000 in lunch debt.

Seattle has more than $46,000 in lunch debt.

Credit: KING

Tacoma Public Schools staff are urging parents to help with this problem.

A spokesperson for the school district said parents who qualify should be signing up for free or reduced lunch. To qualify, a family of four will need to make $47,638 or less a year and a family of eight would need to make $80,346 or less a year.

Parents can also sign up for "Lunch Money Now" to load money onto their child's lunch account online.

Tacoma parents can also put a limit of their child's ability to charge by emailing NutritionServices@tacoma.k12.wa.us.

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