Three school districts aren't taking advantage of federal money for students' breakfast despite the need, according to a report from an anti-hunger group.

The Pennsylvania Hunger Action Center in Harrisburg put Freeport and South Butler school districts on its "Failing the Children" list because neither offers the School Breakfast Program.

The Butler School District is on the "Improvement Needed" list because it has low participation in the program.

School officials say expanding the breakfast program hasn't been considered.

The report, issued this month, says participation is a problem statewide. Pennsylvania ranked 42nd of 50 in a national report by the Food Research Action Center. An additional $25 million in federal funds would come into the state if Pennsylvania participated in the program as much as states such as West Virginia and Kentucky do, it says.

The National School Breakfast Program began in 1966 to give low-income students a first meal of the day.

Income guidelines for the reduced-price breakfast program are 185 percent above the free program and 130 percent above the poverty lines. For example, a family of four with an annual income of $26,000 would qualify for free meals. With an income of $37,000, the family would qualify for reduced meals.

Sue Mitchem, child nutrition specialist with the center, said breakfast is especially important for low-income students.

"Hungry students can't learn," she said. "When students have breakfast they do better academically and socially."

The center listed school districts around the state in five categories. "Star Performers" are districts where at least half of the students who participate in the lunch program also participate in the breakfast program. "Getting the Job Done" schools have at least 29 percent of children from low-income families and a high percentage of those participate.

"Moving Up" schools either began offering the breakfast program or increased participation by 50 percent.

No districts in Butler County are on these lists.

Twelve districts in the state made the "Improvement Needed" list because at least 20 percent of students are low income and only a small number of those participate. In the Butler District, 27 percent of students are from low-income families but only 11 percent of those children participate in the program.

"That's one in every four that come through the door are low income,"Mitchem said. A small number of those get the free or reduced meal, she said.

Fred Molnar, food service director at Butler, said the breakfast program is only offered at the city elementary schools — Broad Street, Center Avenue, and Emily Brittain. That is because students are able to walk to those schools and get there in time to eat, he said.

At the rural elementary schools in the district, students are bused in and arrive only minutes before classes begin.

The elementary schools begin at 9:15 a.m. and in most cases buses drop children off at 9:10 or as late as 9:25 a.m., he said.

"That's too late to feed them breakfast and do the curriculum,"he said.

Because the buses make secondary runs first, the routes can't be moved earlier, he said.

He said he doesn't think the breakfast program will be expanded.

"For right now, we're going to stick with city schools," he said.

South Butler and Freeport don't offer the breakfast program. Freeport has 21 percent low-income students and South Butler has 16 percent low-income students, according to the center.

Todd O'Shell, South Butler district spokesman, said the school board has never discussed offering the program.

Freeport officials were not available for comment.

Mitchem said the center has issued the report for six years hoping to encourage districts not offering the program to introduce it and to reward the districts that have high participation of students.

She said the center sent the school districts on the lists a letter before issuing the report that let them know they were included and offering them help to introduce the program.

"Many times when schools appear on our list, they take action," she said.