Critics decry shrinking lunch periods in U.S. schools

The school lunch hour in the United States is a long-gone relic, NPR reports. At many public schools today, kids are lucky to get more than 15 minutes to eat. Some get even less time. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that students get at least 20 minutes for lunch. But that means 20 minutes to actually sit down and eat — excluding time waiting in line or walking from class to cafeteria.