Legislation aimed at protecting free school meals for students was on the menu at Forest Road Elementary School in Valley Stream, as Rep. Laura Gillen discussed the “Feed Hungry Kids Act.”
Valley Stream District 30 Superintendent Roxanne Garcia-France and Gregory May, Director of Government and Community Relations for Island Harvest Food Bank joined Gillen, who represents a large swath of Nassau County, on Sept. 8.
Gillen, a Democrat, and Rep. David Valadao, a Republican from California, introduced the bipartisan bill. The legislation would protect the Community Eligibility Provision, a federal program that allows underserved schools to offer breakfast and lunch to all students at no charge.
“As a mother of four children, it is painful for me to think of any child having to come to school hungry and spend the day hungry, yearning for something to eat,” Gillen said. “Every one of America's students and children deserves a good education that sets them up for a successful life, regardless of their background or their zip code. Students cannot, however, reach their full academic potential on an empty stomach.”
If a percentage of students in a school qualify for assistance, then every student receives access to meals at no cost. The program also reduces paperwork for families and school districts to ease access to the program.
In 2023, the federal government lowered the participation threshold for the program from 40 percent to 25 percent, meaning that if a quarter of the students in a district qualify for free school meals, then all students benefit. The change made an additional 17,000 schools across the country eligible.
Gillen said that proposals have since emerged in Congress to reverse that change and even raise the threshold as high as 60 percent, which would significantly reduce access to free meals. The “Feed Hungry Kids Act” seeks to codify the 25 percent threshold into law so schools do not have to worry about losing eligibility.
The bill has received support from both Island Harvest and Long Island Cares, two of the region’s largest food banks.
Gillen emphasized that the legislation is designed to provide steady funding and stability so that schools can continue to feed students without disruption.
