Nutrition and public policy specialists warned that President Trump's changes to the law could have a direct effect on school feeding programs. This is because many children automatically qualify for free meals at school because their families participate in the program known as SNAP food stamps.
According to an estimate from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), about 4.5 million people, including 1.5 million children, have lost SNAP benefits since the law went into effect.
Another analysis, conducted by the Urban Institute, estimates that about 18.3 million students in the United States could lose access to free school meals. Additionally, the Center for American Progress estimates that a family with two school-age children would have to spend about $2,200 extra on food during the academic year to compensate for the loss of that benefit.
Why does SNAP impact school meals?
Students living in households enrolled in SNAP automatically receive the benefit of free school meals. When a family stops participating in that program, they may also lose that eligibility.
The reduction in beneficiaries also affects schools that participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). This federal program allows high-poverty campuses to offer free meals to all of their students without each family having to submit an individual application.
If the number of students linked to SNAP decreases, some schools no longer meet the requirements to maintain that program.
One of the first school districts to announce changes was Miami-Dade, Florida. Authorities reported that they will no longer be able to offer free breakfasts and lunches to all students, as many schools stopped meeting the requirements of the CEP program. Of almost 400 schools that offered free meals during the last four years, only 121 will continue within the program.
The district will implement a 30-day grace period; After that period, each lunch will cost $4.20 per student.
“We are trying to use all possible resources to minimize the impact on next year's costs as much as possible, because in the last four years there has been none,” Luis Díaz, director of operations for the Miami-Dade school district, told the Miami Herald.
Families would face more procedures and higher expenses
Minors who lose automatic eligibility will still be able to apply for free meals if their families meet the income limits established by the federal government, however, the process involves completing forms where all sources of household income must be reported, a requirement that specialists consider complicated for many families with several jobs or variable incomes.
“Our organization advocates for free meals for all, because many children and families are left out of the application process,” said Diane Pratt-Heavner, director of media relations for the School Nutrition Association (SNA), speaking to CBS News.
Katie Bergh, CBPP SNAP specialist, also expressed concern about the effect these changes could have.
"One of the things we're most concerned about is the domino effect. As kids lose access to SNAP, next school year they could lose that automatic link to free school meals, even if they're still eligible," Bergh said. “If families lose not only the SNAP program, but also access to free school meals, many of them will face very difficult decisions, choosing between buying food and paying for other essential needs, such as rent, medications or utility bills.”
Concern is increasing because the cost of food continues to be high and many families are already facing difficulties in covering school meals. Organizations dedicated to child nutrition warn that guaranteeing access to food also influences the learning and academic performance of students, so the scope of these changes could be felt both in the household economy and within the classrooms.
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