Advocate urges universal school meals, recounts work to 'settle the debt' locally

Adele Settle, founder of the nonprofit Settle the Debt and a parent in Prince William County, told commissioners she began volunteering after hearing accounts of students denied full meals because families owed money. She described raising tens of thousands of dollars locally and said her group has donated roughly $200,000–$250,000 in aggregate to cover student meal debt.

"This used to happen here in Virginia up until the last decade. And I don't want that to ever happen again," Settle said, recounting anecdotal examples of substituted meals, student shame, and school policies that once led to denied trays. She urged commissioners to pursue universal school meals or alternative state funding mechanisms, arguing that universal meals reduce stigma, administrative burden and unpaid meal debt while improving attendance and learning.