Millions more students in schools serving low-income communities will become eligible for free breakfast and lunch under a rule change announced Tuesday by the Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The Department of Agriculture is making changes to the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) that allows All students in the school district receive free meals. without applying if a certain percentage of students live in households that use certain federal income-based aid programs.
The USDA is reducing that percentage of students from 40% to 25%, allowing millions of students to receive free breakfast and lunch at school.
CEP is a simplified food service option that allows schools to provide free meals to all students without families having to apply for free or reduced-price meals.
“Today’s announcement comes ahead of the one-year anniversary of the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health, at which the Biden-Harris administration committed to advancing the path to healthy school meals for all students,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a press release.
“USDA has taken an important step toward delivering on this promise by expanding access to CEP. Expanding access to free, healthy school breakfasts and lunches will reduce childhood hunger, improve child health and student readiness, and set our country on the path to better nutrition and well-being,” Vilsack said.
The rule change comes after eight states have already taken steps to make free school breakfast and lunch universal for all students in the state.
The USDA said the rule change has many benefits, such as improving food security, reducing school meal debt and reducing stigma against students receiving free lunches.
Source: La Opinion
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