All students in one East Pierce County district to get free lunch, breakfast next year
All students at the Puyallup School District will qualify for free breakfast and lunch in the upcoming school year.
A federal summer program was extended in April to minimize exposure of COVID-19 and ensure all students are fed.
District communications director Sarah Gillispie told The Puyallup Herald on June 22 the district would be a part of the program.
Prior to the pandemic, about 40 percent of the district’s 23,000 students received free or reduced lunch, she said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture oversees school lunch programs. The department is extending its summer program, Seamless Summer Option, that offers free meals for all children through June 2022 to school districts across the country who choose to opt in.
The program will apply to all children, regardless of income.
“This will be especially important during school year 2021-2022 when communities are reopening but school children are not yet vaccinated; social distancing will be particularly important while communities balance reopening schools and safety for students,” a USDA April press release said.
In the Puyallup School District, breakfasts cost students $2.55 plus 65 cents for an extra milk carton. Elementary students’ lunches cost $3.45, junior and high school lunches are $3.75.
Gov. Jay Inslee has instructed all districts to return to the classroom in the 2021-2022 school year, resulting in the return of busy cafeterias.
Giving students free meals during the school year means eliminating the need to collect payment.
“This speeds up service of meals, thereby reducing contact and potential exposure to COVID–19,” USDA program director Angela Kline said in the policy memo.
A set amount of funding for the revamped Summer Seamless Option has not been announced.
The district did not respond to how much in reimbursement they were receiving to pay for the program beyond “full utilization.”
School districts that choose to participate in the program must submit a report on whether and how it resulted in improved services to program participants. Tacoma Public Schools has announced it will also offer free school meals next school year.
Families with students who qualify for free or reduced meals are asked to continue to fill out the forms. Gillispie said it’s important to ensure future funding and resources. Students who qualify for free or reduced meals also qualify for reduced costs for athletics, extracurriculars and laptop protection fees, Gillespie said.
This story was originally published June 28, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
