May become a campaign issue: Free school lunches for all

• Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who was chosen by Vice President Kamala Harris as her running mate on the Democratic presidential ticket, may advocate for a policy that provides free meals to all K-12 students, regardless of their family's financial status.
• Walz signed a Minnesota state law to create universal free school meals.
• During the Covid-19 pandemic, nationwide universal free school meals were available in eight states.
• Harris presented economic policy proposals on Friday that aimed to provide financial assistance for food and children.

The possibility of implementing free school meals as a policy issue in the U.S. presidential race has increased, experts predict, particularly due to Vice President Kamala Harris' selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate on the Democratic ticket.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, K-12 students received free school meals from the federal government, regardless of their income for two years.

Although that policy has ended, eight states have enacted laws to maintain providing free meals.

In 2023, Walz, a former teacher, signed a bill to provide free breakfast and lunch to Minnesota's public-school students, regardless of household income.

If Harris and Walz win the election, their impact on universal school meals could be significant, according to Alexina Cather, policy director at Wellness in the Schools.

On Friday, Harris disclosed certain aspects of her economic policy platform as the Democratic presidential nominee.

Neither school meals nor children were included in the proposals. However, there were a few proposals that focused on children and food. One proposal aimed to increase the value of the pandemic-era child tax credit, while another aimed to enact the first-ever federal ban on "corporate price-gouging" on food and groceries.

The Harris campaign declined to comment on the matter.

How the federal school lunch program works

According to the School Nutrition Association, the typical student pays between $1.75 and $1.80 for a full-price breakfast at a school cafeteria, while lunch costs between $2.83 and $3.05, according to the group.

The median price is reflected in its data, but prices can vary based on the school district.

Certain students receive meal cost subsidies from the federal government, which is determined by their annual income and through programs such as the National School Lunch Program.

Under the National School Lunch Program, families with income below 130% of the federal poverty line receive free meals for their children.

The election may have an impact on the minimum wage. The Trump plan to eliminate taxes on Social Security may not be the best approach. Both Trump and Harris support the idea of no taxes on tips.

To qualify for free meals, a family of three should earn less than approximately $34,000 annually, as stated by Alexis Bylander, the interim director of child nutrition programs and policy at the Food Research & Action Center.

Students who fall within 130% to 185% of the poverty line are eligible for reduced-price meals. They pay no more than 30 cents for breakfast and 40 cents for lunch.

In 2023, approximately 71% of students in the US ate free or reduced-price lunches, with an average of 20 million students participating, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

In March 2020, former President Donald Trump enacted legislation that enabled the U.S. Department of Agriculture to grant nationwide waivers, providing free meals to all students in participating school districts.

That expansion was in place for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years.

Nearly 90% of U.S. school districts took part in the program that allowed them to serve or deliver meals even when they were closed due to the pandemic, according to the USDA.

Congress didn't extend the policy for the 2022-23 school year.

Eight states, including California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Vermont, have enacted laws to establish universal free school meal programs, as reported by the Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center.

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott is the only Republican among the governors of those states.

The Food Policy Center stated that many other states are currently planning, drafting, discussing, or negotiating legislation for the near future.

"The pandemic accelerated the momentum around this issue, as Bylander of FRAC stated," she added.

Some groups dislike universal free school meals

Conservative circles do not appear to support the policy of providing free school meals to all students.

The Heritage Foundation's blueprint for Project 2025 rejects efforts around universal free school meals.

As an illustration of what a second Trump term might entail, Democrats have highlighted Project 2025.

Despite the former president's statements distancing himself from the policy blueprint, several people who previously worked for Trump were involved in creating the playbook. A recently resurfaced video from April 2022 shows Trump speaking at a Heritage Foundation gala about the group's plans.

The Trump administration had granted universal free school meals by extending USDA waivers while in office.

The Trump campaign declined to comment on the matter.

Project 2025 aims to restore the National School Lunch Program to its original objective of providing food to K-12 students from low-income families who would otherwise go without a meal, rather than extending it to middle and higher earners.

The federal school meals have become entitlement programs that have deviated from their original purpose and have become an illustration of the growing federal influence in local school management, as stated in the text.

Advocates say the universality of free meals is essential, though.

Bylander stated that school districts benefit from reduced administrative burdens, and students no longer experience the stigma and shame associated with free and reduced-price meals, resulting in a more equitable cafeteria environment for all children.