Rising School Meal Debt Amidst Changes to Free Lunch Programs

As schools ended universal free meals, meal debt is soaring, with school officials reporting levels they have never seen before. Lawmakers at the state and federal level are looking for ways to fix the growing problem, with a handful of states passing laws mandating universal free meals for students and many more considering similar legislation. The USDA recently proposed an expansion to a free meal program to feed significantly more students at high-need schools, but it doesn't increase the amount of federal funding that the school would receive.