school lunch
A pandemic experiment in universal free school meals gains traction in the states
WASHINGTON — Every public school kid in the United States was eligible for free school meals during the COVID-19 pandemic, regardless of family income, thanks to the federal government. While that’s now ended, a growing number of states across the country are enacting universal school meal laws to bolster child food security and academic equity. […]
Is it time for all Ohio children to get free meals at schools?
Last month, the Ohio State Board of Education officially recommended that the state of Ohio use American Rescue Plan Act dollars to provide free breakfast and lunch to Ohio students through the end of the year. The federal government has been providing free lunch to children from low-income families since 1946, when President Harry Truman […]
Funding school lunch program could prevent ‘lunch shaming’
In 2019, a Summit County school district was under fire for its lunch policy, which said that a student who has a certain amount of debt built up in their school lunch account received an “alternative” to the hot lunch. The debt was $9, according to the child’s grandparents, who received national attention for the […]
School admins, anti-hunger advocates ask for funds to help student food programs
With nearly 2 million children in Ohio facing food insecurity, school officials and the leaders of anti-hunger initiatives want to see federal dollars jumpstart expired pandemic programs. Universal lunch programs were used all over the country during the pandemic as COVID-19 caused school closures and an economic downturn that exacerbated a problem school districts had […]
With Ohio schools closing, foodbanks association calls for help to address hunger
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced Thursday that due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, he has ordered that all kindergarten through 12th grade schools close for several weeks. The Ohio Association of Foodbanks is calling for federal, state, and public help for low-income families with children who will miss school lunches and parents who will lose […]