69传媒

School & District Management

69传媒 Are Struggling to Get Families to Apply for Free Meals

By Arianna Prothero 鈥 December 13, 2022 2 min read
Empty school cafeteria with a view of empty seats and tables and stacks of lunch trays.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

Anecdotes of fast-rising student school meal debt have been piling up, and now new federal data bolsters stories that schools are struggling to get eligible families to sign up for free- and reduced-priced meals.

The big problem, school nutrition directors say, is that a pandemic-era program to provide all students with free meals ended this school year and many families may not be aware that they are now obligated to pay for meals.

A third of schools say they have had trouble convincing parents to submit applications for free or reduced priced meals, according to a recent survey of 1,000 elementary, middle, and high schools across the country conducted by the Institute of Education Sciences, the research arm of the U.S. Department of Education. That was the most-cited challenge out of a list that included increased program costs and staffing shortages.

And that鈥檚 not for lack of trying.

Rhonda Ramsdell, the food services director for a school district in South Dakota told Education Week in October that her district makes frequent calls to families to remind them to complete the paperwork, and has been trying to get the word out through fliers, social media, and email since the summer. Student meal debt in her district, like many others, had exceeded what accumulates in a typical year in just the first few months of this school year.

U.S. Department of Agriculture nutritional waivers, which had allowed schools to provide free meals to all students regardless of income since 2020, and provided flexibility to other rules, expired over the summer. Families that earn at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty line are still eligible for free meals and families that earn at or below 185 percent are still eligible for reduced priced meals. But now parents must fill out paperwork to get those free and reduced priced meals.

Overall, more than a quarter of the schools that operate USDA school and breakfast meal programs said in the survey that it was more difficult for their school to operate meal programs during this school year compared to 2021-22.

The survey, administered in October, is part of the to measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students and staff in K-12 schools.

See also

Image of students in line for a school meal.
Lisa Rathke/AP

Fewer public schools may be taking part in the federal meal program. Eighty-eight percent of schools in the survey said that students can participate in the USDA school meal programs, compared with 94 percent who said so in March.

A few states鈥擟alifornia, Colorado, and Maine鈥攈ave moved to make school meals free to all students since the federal waivers expired. Massachusetts, Nevada, and Vermont, meanwhile, have committed to providing free school meals to all students through this school year.

Supply chain challenges remain

Supply chain disruptions continue to bedevil school district food services programs as well as other district operations.

One in four schools that responded to the federal survey said that procurement problems had a 鈥渟evere鈥 or 鈥渕oderate鈥 negative impact on their food service operations, while 27 percent said the same when it came to getting enough laptops and other electronic devices.

69传媒 have struggled to varying degrees to get the items essential to operating over the past two years when the pandemic knocked a highly-strained and delicately-balanced system of factories, ports, and distributors out of whack.

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69传媒
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide 鈥 elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

School & District Management Reports Strategic Resourcing for K-12 Education: A Work in Progress
This report highlights key findings from surveys of K-12 administrators and product/service providers to shed light on the alignment of purchasing with instructional goals.
School & District Management Download Shhhh!!! It's Underground Spirit Week, Don't Tell the 69传媒
Try this fun twist on the Spirit Week tradition.
Illustration of shushing emoji.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management Opinion How My Experience With Linda McMahon Can Help You Navigate the Trump Ed. Agenda
I have a lesson for district leaders from my (limited) interactions with Trump鈥檚 pick for ed. secretary, writes a former superintendent.
Joshua P. Starr
4 min read
Vector illustration of people walking on upward arrows, symbolizing growth, progress, and teamwork towards success.
iStock/Getty Images
School & District Management Opinion How Social-Emotional Learning Can Unify Your School Community: 7 Timely Tips
It鈥檚 a stressful political season. These SEL best practices can help school leaders weather the unpredictable transitions.
Maurice J. Elias
4 min read
Modern digital collage of caring leader surrounded by positivity. Social Emotional learning leadership.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva