A Dallas Democrat is warning against the hazards of school lunch shaming. Rep. Helen Giddings, D-DeSoto, says school children who can't pay for their lunches are facing humiliation in cafeterias as lunches are often snatched from their hands when their insufficient payment is revealed. Giddings said the problem is further exacerbated by the fact that one in four Texas children faces food insecurity, with up to 40 percent of children in the Dallas area affected. To combat these problems, Giddings has proposed House Bill 2159, which seeks to provide alternative methods for districts to deal with students with insufficient balances. The legislation would give each child a grace period of at least two weeks once his or her balance is negative. During this period, the district must make at least three attempts to contact the child's parent on the matter, work with the parent to pay off the negative balance or work with the parent to file an application for free and reduced lunch. According to Feeding Texas, families earning less than 130% of the poverty line qualify for free and reduced lunches. For instance, a family of four with an annual income of $32,000 could qualify for free lunches. The district must also send the child home with an unmarked, white envelope (to keep the issue discrete) notifying the parent of the child's negative lunch balance. The bill specifies that no interest or additional fees should occur in the two-week grace period. If the grace period expires with no change in action, the district can allow the child to continue purchasing meals as usual or provide alternate meals to the child. If at the end of the year, a negative balance still exists, the district can pay off the child's balance through private donations. The district cannot specifically identify the child in any way throughout this process. Austin ISD, who already gives a grace period and courtesy meals and said it does not "snatch" meals from children, currently operates an EdBacker campaign that seeks private donations to cover the delinquent lunch costs. As of April 27, the campaign has received more than $20,000 in donations for the cause. The campaign's website states that about 700 "courtesy meals" are served per day, equating to roughly $350,000 for an entire year. If passed, the bill would be implemented beginning in the 2017-18 school year. Giddings said as it stands now, children are shamed by reaching the end of the lunch line, only to have insufficient funds, and have food snatched from their hands and thrown in the trash. "In short we want to quit labeling children by snatching that lunch from them at the end of the line," Giddings said. Mark Williams, a former Austin ISD board president, and current chair of the Central Texas Food Bank, said districts should be communicating with parents when issues arise with a student's lunch balance. The miscommunication or lack of communication overall often leads to the stigmatizing of a child that creates further issues within his or her education. The bill was left pending in committee Thursday morning.