Hungry pupils entitled to free school meals could soon be able to use the payment to get food at morning break.
Councillors will decide if funds can be released to allow those who have not eaten to buy a sandwich or snack before lunch.
The move comes after Buckie High pupils lobbied Moray Council to change the time lunch money is made available.
They felt the cost-of-living crisis meant some children arrived at school without having breakfast, and that impacted their ability to learn.
Hungry pupils
Children buy food using their Young Scot cards.
The cost of a meal is £2.40. At the moment that amount is added to their cards just before lunch.
Any leftover funds are cleared at the end of each day.
The total is enough to get a pancake at break and a hot snack and milkshake at lunchtime.
However, it has taken almost a year for a report on the issue to get before councillors.
Members of the education, children’s and leisure services committee will discuss it at their meeting next week.
Officers are recommending money be released in time for morning break, with any allowance left cleared after lunch service.
There is a chance pupils could spend the whole £2.40 at break then still present themselves for a free meal at lunch, which the council is obliged to provide.
However, information from other local authorities shows there is a low risk of that happening.
There are two other options up for consideration.
One is to allow any unspent allowance to roll over until the following day or the end of the week before it is cleared.
Free school meal allowance
While it means pupils are more likely to have funds for lunch, it could result in them having too much food on some days and not enough on others.
Also young people could either willingly or be pressurised to buy meals for others.
The last option is to leave the system as it is.
In the report catering manager Elaine McRae said: “The free school meal allowance can be moved for pupils to use at break time.
Legal obligation
“However if a child has spent all the allowance and still requests a lunch we are legally required to provide a lunch for them.
“The extra allowance for the lunch would require funding.”
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