Beginning this school year, California will be the first state to provide free meals to all children in a school system in its state, according to Abc 7. The Universal Meals program is part of Assembly Bill 130 signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in July of last year.
According to the bill, the following will go into effect for the 2022-2023 school year: “A school district or county superintendent of schools maintaining kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, shall provide two school meals free of charge during each schoolday to any pupil who requests a meal without consideration of the pupil’s eligibility for a federally funded free or reduced-price meal.”
Abc 7 news said that, on average, one out of every five California residents do not know where their next meal will come from; this program seeks to alleviate that burden.
The Merced Union High School District has already begun serving free breakfast and lunch because of the need in the community. The school’s director of nutritional services, Erin Tassey, told the news source that health and equity were top priorities for the district.
"When a student would come through a lunch line and they were considered to be a ‘free student,’ it would create definitely a barrier with getting meals during the day," said Tassey. This issue has now been addressed by providing meals to all students for free.
The district is also offering a state and federally funded program offering snacks for students that stay after school. Full Story
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