Primer told me that the number of children picking up school lunch has more than doubled at some schools in her district. When schools closed last year, the federal government provided funding to offer free meals to all students in an effort to make it easier to reach needy children. “I was like, ‘I’m so sorry, but you don’t qualify,’ and I remember her crying,” Primer told me.Ĭalifornia’s expanded free lunch program doesn’t technically begin until next school year, but it’s basically in effect already because of the pandemic. The income caps are based on federal poverty levels so they don’t take into account the high cost of living in the state.Įrin Primer, director of food services for the San Luis Coastal Unified School District, recalled a single mother who made $50,000 a year calling her, pleading to join the program. In California, 59 percent of schoolchildren qualify for a discounted meal under these standards, but the true need is quite likely much higher. A reduced-price lunch requires an annual income of less than $48,000. To qualify for a free lunch under federal guidelines, a family of four must make less than $34,000 a year.

Maine has already followed in our footsteps. Public schools in Boston, Chicago, Detroit and New York City have offered universal free meals for years, but California became the first to adopt a statewide plan. “We hope that with California taking this on - with the largest population of public school students - some other states will follow suit.” “The pandemic really shined a light on an issue that had been happening for a long time,” said Anne Moertel with the Center for Ecoliteracy, a nonprofit organization in Berkeley that supported the decision.

The move, which has a $650 million annual price tag, will reduce absenteeism and nurse visits while improving learning, advocates say.

Improving attendance in high school