The Agriculture Department has proposed regulations that would require states to double-check students’ eligibility for free and reduced-price school meals after they have been verified by local districts.
Local school districts currently check a sampling of participants in the child-nutrition programs to ensure that they comply with the federal income-eligibility standards.
To be eligible to receive a free lunch or breakfast, a student’s family income must not exceed $13,845 for a family of four.
Under the new regulations, the states would double-check reports from one-third of the local districts and then report the figures to the Agriculture Department’s food and nutrition service.
Gene Vincent, a spokesman for the department, said the changes are being proposed to ensure greater accountability in the child-nutrition programs by collecting consistent national information.
Comments on the proposed regulations are due by Nov. 29.--at