Washington braces for end of universal free lunch

WASHINGTON — Schools around the country have offered all students free lunch since early in the pandemic, backed with funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. With that program ending at the start of the next school year, Washington education officials say they worry about the district’s families.

Curriculum Director Veta Thode said while 50% of students were signed up to stay on free or reduced lunch this fall, the final number would likely be higher.

“I don’t think that’s as high as it should be, because they didn’t have to apply to get free lunches this year,” she said. “I’m guessing that our numbers will go up next year.”

While the change represents a return to school lunch’s pre-COVID setup, it upends a pandemic-prompted change that became the new normal. School board member Troy Suchan said he was worried about families making the switch.

“I feel like there’s going to be a really bad transition,” he said. “Up until this pandemic, it’s just been there forever, and then all of a sudden it’s gone, they don’t have to worry about it. Now, all of a sudden, it’s (back) … I have a feeling we’re going to see a way different scenario than we’ve ever seen, this time next year.”

Superintendent Willie Stone said the district would not let kids go hungry at school.

“Kids are going to eat lunch, the people that start to get behind, we’ll reach out to,” he said. “I just don’t want people to get caught off-guard and not have budgeted and then fall behind.”

For the district, much of the issue is fighting the stigma of using free and reduced lunch.

“It’s hard, because it’s also a pride thing, and I applaud people for having pride,” Superintendent Willie Stone said. “There’s a misunderstanding, they think, ‘If I apply for it, everybody will know.’”

School board secretary and Business Manager Jeff Dieleman said the program was anonymous.

“There’s two people in the district that see those apps and approve them, no one else in the district knows,” he said.

It’s an important program to promote. When students sign up for free and reduced lunch, the schools qualify for more government aid, not just for meal assistance, but for other Title I allocations to things like mental health resources and ESSER funds.

“I have people approach me sometimes that are reluctant to apply,” Suchan said. “I tell them, ‘Please do, it only helps your district, so please, make sure you fill it out’ … they think they’re hurting their own district, and they’re not, they’re actually helping us to get the funding to help them.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com