When I was in elementary school, I remember getting milk and graham crackers every morning. All kids got the little half pint of milk and cookies regardless of income.  No one had to prove they were poor.

The modern school lunch program offers much more - a full breakfast and lunch - but there are strings attached.

School meals are free only for students who can prove they are poor. For a family of four that means an annual income of under $28,000.

I want to go back to the system in place when I was eating those graham crackers. School lunches should be treated like desks and books, or like the basketballs and jump ropes handed out at recess: free for all, a necessary, normal and expected component of the educational system.

You don't have to be a nutritionist to know that kids who are hungry (or sadly and more likely for our kids today, full of junk food) can't pay attention in class, or behave, or stay awake, or learn.

American students are competing against kids across the globe. Our economic vitality depends on how well they perform. Children need more than a half pint of milk and some graham crackers to fuel their growing brains. As a nation, we would be foolish to deny them.

Ginger Rutland writes for The Sacramento Bee opinion pages.