BEREA, Ohio — Twenty million students in the U.S. qualified for free or reduced school lunches last year. Still, some families are responsible for more than $260 million in school lunch debt nationwide every year.
But the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) just changed the rules, making more schools eligible for a program to provide free breakfast and lunch to students, and more local districts are signing up.
Students like school lunch for many reasons: to see their friends, to have a good meal or just for a break. For Berea City Schools food service supervisor Carrie Beegle, it's a meal that has a greater impact than just a full stomach.
So, it helps them learn. When a child is in a classroom, their stomach is rumbling; they're not going to be paying attention to the teachers,” said Beegle.
And now the more than 5,500 students in Berea’s school district will get breakfast and lunch free.
“We are going to be implementing the community eligibility program, and that's a program through the USDA, that allows us to offer free lunches to all of the students instead of just random,” said Beegle.
To qualify for the program, at least 25% of the district must be eligible for free or reduced lunch; then, the school district will be partially reimbursed by the USDA for each meal served.
School districts around Northeast Ohio have been dealing with growing lunch debt following the pandemic when federal funds covered free lunch for all students.
“It was a little difficult for us to get them to get used to paying and so we had a large debt we kept on top of it,” said Beegle.
Nicole Lesnick is a mom of eight with five students in Berea schools who've been getting free or reduced lunch for years.
“It makes it so much easier knowing that my kids are going to school, and that's one thing that i don't have to worry about figuring out,” said Lesnick.
She says in today's economy, those two meals have been a major help at home, and it brings her joy to see that burden lifted from other parents.
“I don't like making an adult issue a kid issue, so if i apply for the funding, and it's so wonderful that our school district is willing to take that step and make sure that every kid gets fed,” said Lesnick.
It also provides relief for the students who can now focus on learning.
“That helps take out of some of the stigma of the free and reduced lunch program, and it helps foster a more learning environment,” said Beegle.
Any school district can apply for the program; they just have to meet certain requirements.
