school lunch

State Superintendent Ryan Walters announced a mandate Monday for districts to immediately submit new budgets to pay for all students' school meals.

Thousands of schools, farmers and food pantries in the Midwest and Great Plains planned on federal dollars over the next year to support local food purchases. And then the U.S. Department of Agriculture cut the programs.

The cancellation of two programs will affect more than $1 billion in expected funding this year. Food advocates worry the cuts are coming when other federal food programs are at risk.

All students received free school meals during the pandemic. That ended after the 2021-22 school year, but several states in the Midwest have expanded access to school meals this school year.

After the end of pandemic-era free meals, schools are reporting rising school meal debt and fewer kids in their free and reduced price programs.

A pandemic waiver allowing parents and guardians to pick up free meals from schools expired at the end of this school year in Texas. Some are now concerned fewer students will have access to nutritious food over the summer.

I was six years old when I realized that food can be dished up in two categories: food that proves someone loves you, and food that proves someone doesn’t…