In September, all students in New York State will receive free breakfast and lunch for the new school year, regardless of their income and whether they attend public or private schools. The comprehensive free school meal program was signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul in May and will cost $340 million.
Under the new regulations, all school districts, public schools, charter schools and non-public schools participating in the federal school breakfast and lunch program must provide free breakfast and lunch to students in school, and students do not need to fill out an income survey to apply; this program is expected to benefit more than 2.7 million students.
It is estimated that this school meal program, the largest in the state’s history, can save families about $165 in food expenses per student per month, and help improve academic performance, standardized test scores, and classroom discipline and attendance.
“Children cannot learn when they are hungry,” Hochul said, and providing free school meals “is just the right thing to do.” She emphasized that free meals can effectively improve students’ attendance and classroom concentration; after removing the family income threshold, it can promote educational equity.
For many low-income or immigrant families, school lunch may be the most nutritious meal of the day for students. In New York State public schools, about 74% of students’ family income is below the poverty line, so the quality of school lunch is very important to them.
In addition, according to a poll conducted by the nonprofit organization “No Kid Hungry”, about 78% of families said that the increase in food costs has exceeded the growth rate of their income. And City Harvest said that one in four children in New York City is facing food insecurity.
Although this policy is regarded as an important measure for New York State to eliminate child hunger and promote educational equity; the high cost of the plan and the huge food waste caused by the poor taste of school meals in New York City have also been criticized. According to street interviews, most students at Brooklyn Tech High School believe that the quality of lunch provided by the school is not satisfactory.
New York City public schools have provided free breakfast and lunch to students for many years, but the school requires parents to fill out an income survey form, which has caused some parents to give up the free breakfast and lunch, or pay the school to enjoy it, or ask to bring their own meals; later, in order to obtain federal funding, the school encouraged parents to fill out an application form, and in the income column, they only need to check the “exceed the standard” to still enjoy free breakfast and lunch. A Chinese parent said that now there is no income requirement and no need to fill out a form, which can save parents a lot of trouble.
