School meals will once again be available for free to all students in Alabama’s K-12 schools, according to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, who made the announcement Monday morning.
“As our nation reopens and people return to work, it remains critical our children continue to receive safe, healthy, and nutritious food,” Perdue said in a press release.
Perdue extended a waiver initially granted in March to schools and eligible meal providers nationwide allowing them to serve free meals to all children 18 and under when schools closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Alabama schools took to social media to let families know meals would again be free of charge.
“So many families are still struggling because of COVID-19 related layoffs and business closures,” Marshall County Schools Child Nutrition Program Director Casey Partain said. “I’m excited that money for meals at school will no longer be an issue.”
Breakfast and lunch together cost $4 a day in her district, she said. “A family with two children could easily pay $40 a week for their children to eat with us.” Her district opened for students Aug. 12 and has been charging for school meals since then.
“We believe it will be life changing for some families,” Partain continued. “So many families fall right at the cutoff for free or reduced priced meals causing hard working families to struggle to send money each week.”
Dothan City Schools CNP Director Tonya Grier said the automatic eligibility makes it easier to get meals to students. “With these waivers,” Grier said, “we’ll be able to speed up meal distribution for the safety of staff and students and ensure no student is denied access to healthy meals.”
Child hunger advocates and school nutrition organizations began asking the USDA to extend the waiver in July, hoping for a seamless transition into the new school year. Nearly all of Alabama’s school districts opened prior to the Aug. 31 waiver expiration date, meaning schools have been charging students not eligible for free or reduced price meals the full cost of the meal.
State Superintendent Eric Mackey said he is pleased with the waiver extension. “Health and safety are primary needs for all children in order to be ready to learn, and food security is the first step in building a healthy body and mind,” he said. “This is a very positive move for our students.”