USDA extends waivers for free school meals

Schoolchildren across the United States can continue receiving free school meals through the end of the academic year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“As our nation recovers and reopens, we want to ensure that children continue to receive the nutritious breakfasts and lunches they count on during the school year wherever they are, and however they are learning,” USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue said Monday in a statement.

In March, the USDA began offering waivers to some requirements to school lunch programs and other services. The agency had extended some waivers in late August, allowing schools and community partners to serve meals to children at no charge until funding runs out, or as late as Dec. 31. This latest action extends them again, this time through June 30.

The waivers extended allow summer meal programs to continue in all areas at no cost, permit meals to be served outside the typically required group settings and meal times, waive meal pattern requirements and allow parents and guardians to pick up the meals for their children.

Pennsylvania First Lady Frances Wolf, along with 17 other first spouses and partners across the country, recently advocated for continued waivers in letters to congressional leaders and to the USDA secretary.

The letters, sent in late September, asked that the entities work together to find funding for child nutrition programs and extend waiver services through the entire 2020-21 school year. They also point out that USDA had previously granted waivers to other requirements pertaining to school meal programs through June 2021, such as meal time restrictions and area eligibility.

Following USDA’s announcement Monday, Wolf said the action was “forward-thinking” and provides certainty “as we continue to navigate a global health crisis and its subsequent economic effects.”

“I am so glad that the USDA has taken this important step in guaranteeing that no child has to wonder where they might find their next meal,” she said in a statement. “This is one piece of the puzzle for ensuring food security, and we look forward to continuing to work with USDA on the implementation of this and related efforts.”

In Pennsylvania, it’s estimated that nearly 630,000 children face food insecurity, according to a news release — an increase of 57.6% to the 2018 child food insecurity rate. Pennsylvania schools reportedly provided more than 25 million meals from March through August of this year.

In a statement, Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said USDA’s latest action will allow those services to continue.

“Throughout the covid-19 mitigation response, these waivers have worked well for schools navigating many changes,” he said. “Whether students are learning from home, at the school or a mix of both, these flexibilities will keep kids fed. Hungry kids can’t learn. Because of programs like this, no Pennsylvania student should go hungry.”