More students in schools serving low-income communities will be eligible to receive breakfast and lunch at no cost under a rule change announced Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Some have criticized the costs of the program. The Republican Study Committee has called for eliminating the CEP altogether, arguing it ignores the individual income eligibility of each student.
Nationally, expanding a community-based model of universal meals would alleviate burdens on many families, said Anna Korsen, policy and program director at Full Plates Full Potential, a nonprofit organization in Maine that works on maximizing access to school meals. “The federal poverty guidelines that dictate who gets a free meal and who doesn’t are really outdated,” Korsen said. “There are so many families that on paper don’t qualify for a free meal, and they can get lumped into this group of ... families that can afford to pay for lunch or breakfast at school. But really, those families are living paycheck to paycheck.”
Agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack said the rule change is a step toward fulfilling the promise of healthy school meals for all. “Increasing access to free, healthy school breakfast and lunch will decrease childhood hunger, improve child health and student readiness, and put our nation on the path to better nutrition and wellness,” he said.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Austin ISD receives final, negotiated proposal from TEA ahead of Tuesday night voteThe district is asking any community members who wish to share their thoughts on the final proposal to reach out before 3 p.m. Tuesday.
Read more »
One injured in Tuesday morning crash on Indiana 49 in ValparaisoThe Porter County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a crash around 7 a.m. Tuesday in which a driver crossed the median and struck two other vehicles on Indiana 49, just south of County Road 600 North in Valparaiso.
Read more »
Rantz: One health department's anti-fentanyl campaign actually pushes drug useA new campaign from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department ends up encouraging kids to use fentanyl in a 'safer' way. It's dangerous and will only make the crisis worse.
Read more »
Japan’s PM Kishida: To instruct ministers to compile economic package on TuesdayJapanese Prime Minister (PM) Fumio Kishida said on Monday that he will instruct ministers to compile an economic package on Tuesday. Additional quotes
Read more »