Amidst growing concerns about food insecurity among students, Nebraska is considering a significant shift in its approach to school meals. In the 2022-2023 academic year, nearly half of the students in Nebraska’s public schools qualified for free or reduced-price lunch. This statistic underscores the urgent need for legislative action to address hunger in schools.
Senator Machaela Cavanaugh is championing the Hunger-Free Schools Act (LB14), aiming to provide free lunches to all students in both public and private schools across the state. Since joining the Nebraska Legislature in 2019, this marks her fourth attempt to introduce such a bill.
The proposed legislation mandates that schools offer free breakfast and lunch to all students, regardless of their eligibility under federal guidelines. To support schools financially, the state would cover the costs associated with implementing this requirement. However, an amendment would allow schools lacking the necessary staff or infrastructure to apply for a waiver from the breakfast provision.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Agriculture temporarily provided free meals to all schoolchildren, a program that ceased in June 2022 after several extensions. In the aftermath, several states such as California, Colorado, and Maine have implemented universal free meal programs for students.
At a recent hearing, Omaha sixth grader Vivian Nebel voiced her support for universal free school lunches, noting the potential to mitigate both food insecurity and the social stigma often associated with it. “Parents can’t afford the school lunches,” she explained, adding that it can be embarrassing for students to be publicly reminded to top up their lunch accounts.
Nebel expressed a willingness to sacrifice certain amenities for the program, such as assistant teachers and extra playgrounds, but drew the line at essential community services like libraries and streetlights.
Tim Royers, President of the Nebraska State Education Association, echoed Nebel’s sentiments, emphasizing the broader educational benefits of the bill. “Food insecurity has had a profound impact on the children of our state,” he stated. “From an educator’s lens, it seriously jeopardizes their ability to achieve academically, and it also has a contributing factor to some of the behavior concerns that we have been discussing over the past few sessions.”
The initiative is projected to cost Nebraska over $60 million annually. This financial commitment comes at a time when the state is grappling with a $432 million budget shortfall that legislators must resolve before the session concludes.
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