Free meals for students extended
Program to continue through next school year
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced it will allow schools to provide free lunches for all students through the end of next school year.
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the USDA issued waivers for its free meals program that allowed schools to provide free grab-and-go meals to students who were suddenly learning from home because of school shutdowns.
The waivers have been extended several times over the past year, allowing schools to provide free inperson meals for students returning to school buildings or grab-and-go meals for those learning virtually. But that flexibility was scheduled to expire in September.
Earlier this week, USDA officials announced that another extension has been issued, allowing free meals to be handed out through the end of the 2021-22 school year. An increase in the amount the USDA reimburses schools for meals has also been extended.
“Students’ success in the classroom goes hand in hand with their ability to access basic needs like healthy and nutritious meals,” said U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona in a statement announcing the extension. “It’s critical that our efforts to reopen schools quickly and safely include programs that provide access to free, healthy meals for our most vulnerable students, particularly those whose communities have been hardest hit by the pandemic.
“This program will ensure more students, regardless of their educational setting, can access free, healthy meals as more schools reopen their doors for in-person learning.”
According to the USDA,
up to 12 million children across the nation are currently
living in households where they may not have
enough to eat during the pandemic.