Milton Food Service Director Ms. Ashley Reese said she doesn’t know yet whether lunches will be free or not for next school year.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the federal government passed a law called the Universal School Meals Program Act of 2021, where there were universal free meals. “Every student’s lunch was free no matter if they qualified for free meals or not,” Ms. Reese said.
“Around 2-3 years ago, that law was changed and only students who qualified for free lunch received it.” Ms. Reese said. The law was changed for financial reasons. “The estimated annual cost of the program was around $29 billion for the country, which raised concerns about the financial burden.” according to a Kansas Reflector article.
Both lunch and breakfast receive federal and state funding, though the monetary reimbursement is different for each.
Currently the Governor of Pennsylvania has included Statewide free breakfast for all students in his budget. “So, I do anticipate free breakfast to continue,” Ms. Reese said.
To be able to qualify for free lunch, the student’s family must have either “a low income, or you had to have a specific reason, whether it was disability, homelessness, or any situation where they already are being given money by the government,” Ms. Reese said.
“Any family who thinks they may qualify for free or reduced lunch would need to submit a Household Income Eligibility Application and provide the supporting information documentation,” Ms. Reese said. With that said, families can apply anytime during the school year, but need to submit a new application every year. Parents can find the application on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s COMPASS website, www.compass.dhs.pa.gov.
According to Ms. Reese, Milton still provides free lunch for all students because the district pays for it on their own and then the federal government pays back the money to the school. “The only way the school can get the money reimbursed though, is if the lunch that was given qualified,” she said.
“As soon as I know whether our eligibility to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program changes, I will begin communicating with district families.” Ms. Reese said. She added that she does not have a timeline. The prices of lunch would be determined only when Ms. Reese knows whether the school is returning to the traditional NSLP program. There is a formula that the government provides as a guideline, which is used to determine meal prices, she said.
Ms. Reese explained how there is more uncertainty now than in the past. The last time families had to pay for school meals was prior to Covid in 2020. Universal free school meals was a policy made possible by federal waivers issued during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it officially ended in June 2022, she added.
“When the waivers were ending, I knew it would be a hard transition and even a struggle for families to return to paid meals,” Ms. Reese said. She added that at that time, she researched the CEP program and evaluated whether it was a feasible option for Milton Area school district.
“Once I made my decision, I presented it to the School Board and requested approval to move forward with CEP, which allowed us to continue the free meals for families.” Ms. Reese said. MASD students have received meals at no cost for the past five years, so returning to eligibility requirements and the approval processes could be a transition for families in the Milton Area School District.
