Nutrition & School Lunch

Children enjoy lunches provided by the Brownsville Independent School District on June 8, 2016, at the Olivera Park gymnasium in Brownsville, Texas. The local school district provides free lunches to any child under 18 who needs a meal, regardless of their status as a student with the school district.
Children enjoy lunches provided by the Brownsville Independent School District on June 8, 2016, at the Olivera Park gymnasium in Brownsville, Texas. School districts and other organizations can sign up as summer meal sites to continue providing meals to students once school is out of session.
Jason Hoekema/The Brownsville Herald via AP
School & District Management Data Data: How Schools Respond to Student Hunger Over the Summer
The end of pandemic-era flexibility for schools and community organizations has translated into fewer students receiving free summer meals.
Caitlynn Peetz, May 25, 2023
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1 min read
Kids line up for lunch outside the Michigan City Area Schools' converted school bus at Weatherstone Village on U.S. 20 in Michigan City, Ind., on July 22, 2021. The bus makes four stops every weekday as part of the Summer Food Program.
Kids line up for lunch outside the Michigan City Area Schools' converted school bus at Weatherstone Village on U.S. 20 in Michigan City, Ind., on July 22, 2021. The bus makes four stops every weekday as part of the Summer Food Program. Summer meal programs are expected to serve fewer students this summer after the expiration of a pandemic-era federal waiver.
Jeff Mayes/The News Dispatch via AP
School & District Management Fewer Students Are Getting Free Summer Meals After Pandemic Waivers End
Summer meal programs are expected to serve fewer students following last summer's end of a federal waiver.
Caitlynn Peetz, May 23, 2023
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5 min read
Photo of Middle school students getting lunch items in cafeteria line.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
Student Well-Being Are Lunch Periods Too Short? Some States Want to Give Kids More Time to Eat
Students are losing out on nutrition and schools are wasting food.
Arianna Prothero, April 25, 2023
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3 min read
Students eat lunch in the cafeteria at Tonalea K-8 school in Scottsdale, Ariz., Dec. 12, 2022.
Students eat lunch in the cafeteria at Tonalea K-8 school in Scottsdale, Ariz., Dec. 12, 2022.
Alberto Mariani/AP
Student Well-Being Lunchables Are Coming to School Cafeteria Menus. We Unwrap the Reasons Why
A retooled version of the product has gotten the OK to be served on school lunch lines.
Elizabeth Heubeck, March 28, 2023
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4 min read
Young boy in a school lunchroom cafeteria line and choosing a slice of pizza to put on his tray which includes an apple.
SDI Productions/Getty
School & District Management A New Federal Plan Could Make Free School Meals a Reality for More Students
The plan will mostly benefit districts in states where lawmakers have enacted universal free school meal policies.
Arianna Prothero, March 22, 2023
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5 min read
Young boy in a school lunchroom cafeteria line and choosing a slice of pizza to put on his tray which includes an apple.
SDI Productions/Getty
Federal USDA Clamps Down on Salt and Sugar in Proposed School Nutrition Guidelines
It marks the first time the federal agency is calling for limiting the amount of added sugars in school meals.
Arianna Prothero, February 3, 2023
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4 min read
Image of students in the lunch line.
SDI Productions/iStock/Getty
Budget & Finance Meal Debt Is a Growing Problem for School Districts, Survey Shows
Student meal debt is one of a host of challenges facing district food services. Inflation and supply chain shortages are big ones, too.
Arianna Prothero, January 11, 2023
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2 min read
Photo of girl in school cafeteria.
E+ / Getty
Budget & Finance 6 Ways Districts Can Tackle Meal Debt—and Some Pros and Cons
District leaders face tough choices for dealing with families who can't pay for students' meals—but there are lots of humane options.
Mark Lieberman, January 9, 2023
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3 min read
Image of a school lunch tray with food and milk.
kcline/iStock/Getty
Student Well-Being What Teens Think of Their School Lunches: 5 Takeaways From a National Survey
When it comes to feeding kids, schools have been jumping from one crisis to another, making it easy to lose sight of the student experience.
Arianna Prothero, January 6, 2023
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4 min read
Revelers march down Fifth Avenue during the annual NYC Pride March, Sunday, June 26, 2022, in New York.
Revelers march down Fifth Avenue during New York City's annual Pride March in June. Proposed changes to Title IX would explicitly protect students from discrimination based on their gender identity or sexuality.
Mary Altaffer/AP
Federal Historic Changes to Title IX and School Safety Funding: How 2022 Shaped K-12 Policy
Federal lawmakers sought to make Title IX more inclusive, respond to school shootings, and crack down on corrupt charter schools.
Libby Stanford, December 29, 2022
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6 min read
Image of students in line for a school meal.
Lisa Rathke/AP
Student Well-Being Student Hunger Over Winter Break: One 4th Grader's Solution for His School
A school nurse and student work together to help feed students and families who may not have enough to eat during holiday closures.
Elizabeth Heubeck, December 22, 2022
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4 min read
Photo of Middle school students getting lunch items in cafeteria line.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
Student Well-Being Educators Largely Support Universal Free Meals for Students, But Worry About Complications
Most believe expanding the program would end lunch stigma and prevent hunger. But they also noted its cost and had concerns about food waste.
Caitlynn Peetz & Hayley Hardison, December 14, 2022
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8 min read
Empty school cafeteria with a view of empty seats and tables and stacks of lunch trays.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
School & District Management Schools Are Struggling to Get Families to Apply for Free Meals
A survey of schools highlights ongoing challenges with enrolling students in federal free meal programs.
Arianna Prothero, December 13, 2022
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2 min read
Young boy in a school lunchroom cafeteria line and choosing a slice of pizza to put on his tray which includes an apple.
SDI Productions/Getty
Budget & Finance Student Lunch Debt Is Expected to Rise. TikTokers to the Rescue?
The heartwarming phenomenon can solve local issues, but probably not what's expected to be a nationwide rise in lunch debt.
Alyson Klein & Hayley Hardison, December 2, 2022
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3 min read
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