Students across the nation are being saddled with school debt—before they even graduate from high school. They’re racking up that debt because a federal assistance program that paid for school meals for over 50 million American students during the COVID-19 pandemic expired, according to USA Today.
Coverage of a fraction of the $19 million in debt is being cobbled together by community organizations and some national nonprofits, USA Today reports. Still, it’s hardly enough, and a sizable number of kids will go without food as a result.
Children began to incur this debt after Congress allowed the pandemic aid provision to expire in June 2022, but it’s taking a more significant toll as food prices rise and families battle to pay for other expenses.
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“School meal programs are at a tipping point as rising costs, persistent supply chain issues, and labor shortages jeopardize their long-term sustainability,” School Nutrition Association (SNA) President Lori Adkins said in a statement.
“Congress has an opportunity to protect this critical lifeline by making reimbursement increases permanent and allowing us to offer free meals to ensure all students are nourished during the school day.”
The SNA applauded the bipartisan Keep Kids Fed Act of 2022, but during the Senate’s consideration of the bill, senators struck a key provision that would have made meals free for students eligible for reduced-price lunches.
“We are extremely disappointed Senate leaders were forced to strike a key provision to eliminate the reduced-price meal co-pay for eligible families, struggling with rising food and gas costs,” former SNA President Beth Wallace said at the time. “Throughout the pandemic, free school meals have ensured students are nourished and ready to learn. The loss of free school meals puts too many students at risk of going hungry.”
The nonprofit Tusk Philanthropies Solving Hunger is funding campaigns and policies for universal free healthy meals programs in Connecticut, New York, North Carolina, and Vermont, USA Today reports. And in Georgia, the nonprofit called All For Lunch paid $130,000 to help erase the debt of school kids in several counties, USA Today reports.
The student debt began to accumulate after the pandemic aid ended, although some schools continue feeding kids despite the debt incurred. Additionally, some kids aren’t signing up for the federal free and reduced-cost lunches, in part because they don’t qualify, but many still can’t afford meals.
Some states have laws on the books to ensure that students always have access to free meals, regardless of their family’s income, including California, Maine, and most recently, Colorado.
The SNA is pushing for Congress to restore the universal meal programs that provided free meals during the COVID-19 pandemic to all U.S. students, regardless of income.
The truth is hungry kids have a hard time learning.
On the first episode of season two of The Downballot, we're talking with Sara Garcia, the strategy and outreach manager at Crooked Media—home of Pod Save America—about everything her organization does to mobilize progressives and kick GOP ass. Sara tells us how Crooked arose to fill a void in the media landscape, how it not only informs listeners but also gives them tools to take action, and some of her favorite shows that she loves to recommend to folks.
Co-hosts David Nir and David Beard also discuss the Republican shitshow currently unfolding in Congress—and starkly different outcomes in two state legislatures that just elected new House speakers via bipartisan coalitions; the landslide win for the good guys in a special election primary in Virginia; why George Santos faces serious legal trouble that will very likely end with his resignation; and the massive pushback from progressive groups and labor unions against Kathy Hochul's conservative pick to be New York's top judge.
