WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand, D-N.Y., is pushing to provide full days of meals to all American schoolchildren with a bill that would create a free school-based food program nationwide.
On Thursday, the senator introduced the Universal School Meals Program Act, which would provide federal funding and a mandate that all public school districts in the U.S. provide breakfast, lunch and dinner to all students free of charge.
It would also increase the federal reimbursement rate for school districts that provide these meals, and it would implement a rule that all low-income students be permitted to enroll in summer food programs that feed schoolkids who aren’t in school over the break.
“Food insecurity is still a huge problem in New York,” Sen. Gillibrand said. “One in six children face hunger in our state, and an estimated 470,000 children are ineligible for free school meals even though they live in households earning less than a living wage.”
New York state has already dramatically increased the number of students eligible to receive free school meals, with an inclusion in this year’s state budget of $134 million to expand free school lunch programs. Sen. Gillibrand said she was happy to see that move made, but said her legislation would go even further for New York’s students.
“If this legislation becomes law, at least 726,000 more children in New York will be eligible for free meals,” she said.
Supporters of free school meals argue that the public education system is the best place to reach children and address nutritional needs, and argue that the practice of charging for school meals can pose administrative challenges for schools and social problems for students who can’t afford their meals.
Crystal FitzSimons, director of school and out-of-school time programs for the Food Research and Action Center, which advocates in support of universal school meals, said good nutrition is essential to childhood development.
She said pandemic-era federal programs that expanded school meal programs to contend with disruptions to the food supply for many families proved that these programs can work.
“The pandemic gave us a trial run for health school meals for all, and it showed us it is not only doable but it’s the right thing to do,” she said.
The Universal School Meals Program Act has been introduced before, and was spearheaded by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. in last year’s congressional session, although it did not see a vote in either chamber.
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