Louisiana Mother on Capitol Hill Today After Daughter’s School Milk Incident Sparks Outrage and Demand for Reform

Washington, D.C. — Louisiana mother Jamisha Augustine is at the U.S. Capitol today and tomorrow (April 9-10) to speak directly with lawmakers after her 6-year-old daughter was given cows’ milk, due to a milk mandate in the National School Lunch Program, despite her documented medical aversion to the beverage.

An adverse physical reaction spiraled into a humiliating incident (she soiled herself in her seat and was reportedly forced to clean it up as punishment). Her story is galvanizing support behind a growing national movement to ensure plant-based milk options are available in schools for the millions of children who are lactose intolerant.

Augustine’s daughter became severely ill after being served milk at Rollins Place Elementary in Zachary, La., even though her mother had submitted medical documentation of her condition at the start of the school year.

In interviews, Augustine has indicated it is unacceptable that national policy forces schools to give kids cows’ milk when millions of them get sick from the product. She believes kids need a practical and safe beverage choice, and she has traveled to Washington because no parent should have to worry that school lunch will create a health crisis for a child in the cafeteria or the classroom.

Her trip is backed by Animal Wellness Action, the Center for a Humane Economy, and Switch4Good, which are calling on Congress to support the Freedom in School Cafeterias and Lunches (FISCAL) Act. This bipartisan legislation (S. 1236 and H.R. 2539) would require schools to offer a plant-based milk option reimbursable under the NSLP, just like cows’ milk today.

More than 15 million students in the United States may be lactose intolerant, with disproportionately high rates among Black (75%), Hispanic (65%), Asian American (90%), and Native American (95%)communities. Yet, under current policy, these students are typically forced to accept a carton of milk on their tray — milk that will cause them discomfort or even make them ill.

The USDA’s own reports reveal that nearly 30% of school-issued milk cartons are thrown away unopened, amounting to an estimated $400 million in annual food waste, all while nutritionally equivalent plant-based milks remain unavailable in most school cafeterias.

“It is abundantly clear that the current milk substitute system that USDA employs is delivering detrimental impacts on students,” said Rep. Carter. “Too many children who cannot safely or comfortably consume dairy are being forced to accept containers of cow’s milk on their lunch trays. My wife and children are all lactose intolerant, so I know just how uncomfortable consuming dairy milk can be for someone who cannot process it. The recent incident at Rollins Place Elementary School in Zachary is unacceptable and a glaring example of why we need immediate reforms in our schools to ensure all children have safe and appropriate dietary options. My bill ensures the health and nutritional needs of all our nation’s students are met. America needs to embrace its diversity at the lunch counter.”

The primary authors of the FISCAL Act—including Senators John Fetterman, D-Pa., John Kennedy, R-La., and Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Representatives Troy Carter, D-La., and Nancy Mace, R-S.C. — say it’s time to end the 80-year-old “milk mandate” and offer kids real choices that reflect today’s science and society.

“We know that four in 10 kids in the National School Lunch Program get sick from cows’ milk, yet we don’t have the good sense to give them a beverage option that suits them?” asked Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. “This policy is as wrong-headed as it comes. I cannot believe that lawmakers, once they understand the prevalence of lactose intolerance among our kids, can allow such a reckless policy to persist.”

Taxpayers also cannot stomach seeing $4 billion squandered on tossed milk in cafeterias every 10 years. Moreover, animal wellness groups point out that cows endure the rigors of production and an array of health problems only for so much of their milk yield wasted.

Augustine and Pacelle are available for in-person interviews in Washington D.C. this week or remote interviews in other media markets.