Federal School Nutrition Programs.
The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP) are child nutrition programs funded by the United States Department of Agriculture. In Washington, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) administers the programs. The NSLP and the SBP are designed to promote the health and well-being of children by providing nutritionally balanced, low-cost or no-cost meals to children each school day. The NSLP and the SBP provide reimbursement for meals served that meet federal requirements. Public or nonprofit private schools and public or nonprofit private residential childcare institutions may participate in the NSLP and the SBP.
Free and Reduced-Price Meals.
To qualify for free school meals, a student's family income, as evidenced through household applications provided by families to schools, must be at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty level. Students whose families have an income between 130 percent and 185 percent of the federal poverty level are eligible for reduced-price meals. Students whose families earn more than 185 percent of the poverty level pay full price, but the meals are federally subsidized to some extent. Data from October 2020 indicated that 476,161 Washington students (45.8 percent) were enrolled in the free or reduced-price meals (FRPMs) program.
Community Eligibility Provision.
The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the federal Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act provides an alternative to household applications for FRPM by allowing schools with high numbers of low-income students to serve free meals to all students. A school, group of schools, or school district is eligible for the CEP if at least 40 percent of its students are identified as eligible for free meals through means other than household applications, examples of which include: students directly certified through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and foster, homeless, and migrant students. The percentage of eligible students identified without using household applications is the identified student percentage (ISP).
In the 2021-22 school year, 490 Washington schools, with a combined enrollment of 204,131, met the ISP requirements and participated in the CEP.
Recent Legislative Actions.
Legislation adopted in 2018 directed the OSPI to develop and implement a plan to increase the number of schools participating in the CEP for the 2018-19 school year and subsequent years. The legislation required the OSPI to convene monthly stakeholder meetings until June 31, 2019, to report on the status of the plan and to coordinate outreach and technical assistance efforts to districts. The 2018 legislation also required the OSPI to annually provide reports to the Legislature each December 1 on the number of schools participating in the CEP.
Legislation adopted in 2020 mandated participation in the CEP for schools with certain characteristics. As provided in the legislation, each school with students in or below grade 8 that has an ISP of at least 62.5 percent, as determined annually by each April 1, must participate in the CEP in the subsequent school year and throughout the duration of the CEP's four-year cycle. Schools that provide meals to all students and at no cost to the students through an arrangement with a local entity are exempted from the mandatory CEP participation requirements.
Provisions mandating participation in the CEP are modified. Each public school that has an ISP of at least 40 percent, or a lower percentage if authorized by federal law, as determined annually by each April 1, must participate in the CEP in the subsequent school year and throughout the duration of the CEP's four-year cycle. Public schools that provide meals to all students and at no cost to the students through an arrangement with a local entity are exempted from the mandatory CEP participation requirements.
School districts, to the extent practicable, must group public schools for purposes of maximizing the number of public schools eligible to participate in the CEP. Individual schools participating in a group may have less than 40 percent identified students, provided the average ISP for the group is at least 40 percent.
Provisions mandating participation in the CEP for qualifying schools are expressly extended to charter schools and state-tribal education compact schools.
All provisions are null and void if specific funding for the bill is not provided by June 30, 2022, in the omnibus operating appropriations act.
(In support) Food is health, and consistent access to food is how society helps students grow and learn. The CEP can provide more meals to more students, and this bill will bring more than 600 schools, more than 92,000 students, into the program.
Child hunger is one of the most serious issues facing children. This issue can be helped by expanding access to school meal programs. The rates of food insecurity have almost tripled, and one third of households with children do not have enough to eat. Addressing the issues of hunger and food insecurity through the CEP is innovative and will reduce the stigma associated with traditional meal program.
The Yakima School District has participated in the CEP for almost 10 years. Before doing so, some students did not eat school meals because of concerns about submitting data or public stigma. The passage of this bill will result in more students being fed at schools.
The goal of this bill is supporting students in need. This bill is good for kids and good for reducing barriers to accessing food.
Schools participating in the CEP provide balanced meals and the students no longer need to stand in the free line. This practice should be extended to all families. It is critical that all children have access to food.
(Opposed) None.