Schools around the country are scrambling to continue feeding America's children. Today, they’re breathing a sigh of relief—but only for a moment.
Child nutrition waivers passed by Congress in early 2020 in response to COVID-19 made all students eligible for meals at no charge and provided schools with higher reimbursements and more flexibility in how meals are served to fill urgent needs. The waivers were scheduled to expire this June 30, and the consequences of doing nothing would have been severe. Although the vast majority of schools have returned to in-person learning, they continue to grapple with staff shortages, rising costs and supply chain disruptions, which is why more than 90% of school food authorities relied on the waivers during the 2021-22 school year to keep afloat. Allowing the waivers to expire now would have cut off millions of children from school meals that provide many children with nearly half of their daily calories and are a consistent source of good nutrition—at a time when more than 23 million families in the United States are experiencing food insecurity, the highest total in more than a year.
The above is an excerpt of a piece originally published in ABC News.
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