Free/ Reduced Lunch Program in Public Schools

The need for free lunches is growing with today’s economy. Many parents have been laid off and are struggling to keep their houses. Children are an expense and going into parenthood the majority of parents know that kids cost money.
One way that many towns help parents who are struggling to make ends meet is to offer a “free or reduced lunch” program. Parents fill out forms stating their income and expenses and their children may be granted a free or reduced lunch depending on the examination of their application by the school principals and administration. However, over the past few years I have seen some families that have “slipped through the cracks” and received free or reduced lunches while the children are wearing brand new clothes, parents are driving expensive luxury vehicles and not paying a dime for lunch.
There are many families that may be “too proud” to even apply or admit that they may qualify for free or reduced lunch. Since I am studying elementary education I have the opportunity to spend time in schools. Over the past few instances I have seen children’s families abuse the free and reduced lunch program. Once I found out that a child’s mother cleans houses, the family was in no means need of receiving the free lunches their one child did but the young boy told me that his Mom had just bought him an Xbox 360 and his sister a new pair of Ugg boots. Now, one may say this is a onetime instance but I have seen numerous parents of children who are part of this program pick their children up in brand new Mercedes or even Lexus vehicles.
I feel that there needs to be a monitor on these families that receive free or reduced lunch because clearly some of them have discovered how to beat the system and may be depriving children in a family who are really struggling to make ends meet and are not allowed in to the program because the application deadline has already passed.