The New America Foundation gives a brief history of how the
government came to be involved in school lunches. Many years ago, a program was implemented
called the Commodity Donation Program of 1936.
This “aimed to eliminate price-suppressing crop surpluses by
distributing excess commodities to school for meals for students who could not
otherwise afford them.”
Then in 1946, the National School Lunch Act was passed by
Congress. This established a federally
funded school lunch program, and to “improve child nutrition.” The National School Lunch Act now also
includes free and reduced priced breakfast, after-school snacks, milk, and
summer meals for students who qualify.
To participate in this federally subsidized school lunch
program, local school districts are required to apply to their state department
of education for permission. Once permission
is granted from the state, “all schools located in the district’s jurisdiction,
both public and non-profit private, are eligible to participate.”
The district, or individual school, must then choose an “approved
school food authority to implement the program.” New America continues to state that these
school food authorities are independent and non-profit organizations. They are responsible for determining student
eligibility, enrollment, and providing the meals for the school lunch
program.
The National School Lunch Program is available to “all
eligible children living in the United States regardless of citizenship status.” If a student’s family has an income below 130
percent of the annual income poverty level guideline, as established by the US
Department of Health and Human Services, they are eligible to receive a free
lunch. Reduced priced lunches are
available to those students whose family’s income falls below 185 percent of
poverty guidelines.
Schools cannot charge more than 40 cents for a reduced
lunch, and students who do not qualify for free or reduced lunches can still
purchase a lunch at a “slightly subsidized” price.
Parents can apply by providing their income information on
an application through the school district, or children can be enrolled
automatically through “direct certification.”
Direct certification is a process where school food authorities or state
agencies receive lists of families enrolled in either the Food Stamp Program or
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
These names are matched to students enrolled in the school or schools
that the authority serves.
School food authorities are reimbursed with federal funds
that are distributed by the state. Commodity
foods, such as oranges and apples, are sometimes provided by the school food
authority to schools that request them. For
the 2013-2014 school year, the reimbursement for a commodity was 23.25 cents
each. In a jurisdiction where less than
60% of the students qualify for free or reduced lunches, the reimbursement rate
again for the 2013-2014 school year was $2.93 for a free lunch and $2.53 for a
reduced lunch.
Growing up, I remember a short time in elementary school,
where I either received a free or reduced lunch. I remember that my lunch ticket was a
different color than most of the other kids, and I was really embarrassed by
it.
So I guess in a way, this has come full circle, as I
currently have two children in school, who qualified for this past school
year. Thankfully now, there are no paper
lunch tickets, but a student number or code that each child punches in or
gives.
While there definitely is a basis for the argument against
the nutrition of some things on the school lunch menus—chicken nuggets and hot
dogs are served at their school, I am grateful for this resource for struggling
families. I have noticed more whole grains being incorporated into their meals.
I also think the direct certification is a great idea, as I’m
sure there are many students who might miss out on a meal or meals, if the only
way they could apply was by their parent filling out the application.
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