(CalMatters) On days she forgets to pack her lunch, 17-year-old Dalal Erekat has to resort to a few vegetarian options like carrot sticks and tater tots. Her school, Valhalla High, has never provided halal entrees permissible to eat by her Muslim faith.
But her city, El Cajon in eastern San Diego County, has a large Muslim community with many Arab food options, she says.
“There’s a lot of accessible butchers and a lot of restaurants too,” she said. “It’s really not a hassle except at school.”
While this year’s state budget includes free school meals for all students starting in the 2022-23 school year, California has never required school districts to offer meals that accommodate students’ religious beliefs. Muslim students like Erekat have either been forced to bring meals from home or resort to their cafeterias’ meager vegetarian offerings.
