Congress temporarily made school meals free to all schoolkids but since that ended last fall, the need has only seemed to grow.
PHOENIX — America's schools say kids are hungry — just as COVID-19 benefit programs have lapsed. There is growing concern about the effects on kids' ability to learn.
School cafeterias typically don't turn away a hungry kid, but debts for unpaid school meals have risen — showing the level of need and raising questions about how schools will keep feeding everyone without federal money to do it. The neediest kids are eligible for free or reduced-price meals, as before the pandemic, but qualifying for those benefits requires applications that haven't been necessary for several years.
More than 34 million people, including 9 million children, in the United States are food insecure, according to the U. S. Department of Agriculture, meaning they lack consistent access to enough food for every person in their family to be healthy. Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | Omny Studio At his school, V. H. Lassen Academy of Science and Nutrition, all students are eligible to receive free meals. The Roosevelt School District, where 80% of students are Hispanic and 12% are Black, covers the meals with aid from a federal program for low-income school communities.
While they lasted, the universal free meals addressed several concerns about student hunger. There was no paperwork involved. And kids who needed them didn't have to worry about stigma because they were available to everyone. Some states including California are using state money to continue these programs, but most have gone back to charging all but the neediest kids for meals.
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'It's hard to focus': Schools say American kids are hungryPHOENIX (AP) — America's schools say kids are hungry — just as pandemic-era benefit programs have lapsed. There is growing concern about the effects on kids' ability to learn. Congress temporarily made school meals free to all American schoolkids, but since that ended last fall , the need has only seemed to grow.
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'It's hard to focus': Schools say American kids are hungryAmerica's schools say kids are hungry — just as pandemic-era benefit programs have lapsed. Congress temporarily made school meals free to all American schoolkids, but since that ended last fall, the need has only seemed to grow. One federal program that ends this month had given nearly 30 million Americans extra food stamps during the pandemic.
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'It's hard to focus': Schools say American kids are hungryCongress temporarily made school meals free to all American schoolkids, but since that ended last fall, the need has only seemed to grow.
Read more »
'It's hard to focus': Schools say American kids are hungryWhen students don’t have enough to eat, it can affect their ability to learn and perform up to their ability.
Read more »
'It's hard to focus': Schools say American kids are hungryWhen students don’t have enough to eat, it can affect their ability to learn and perform up to their ability.
Read more »
'It's hard to focus': Schools say American kids are hungryAmerica's schools say kids are hungry — just as pandemic-era benefit programs have lapsed. There is growing concern about the effects on kids' ability to learn.
Read more »