WASHINGTON — Four school districts in Alaska, Iowa, Maine, and Ohio received awards for their trailblazing and innovative efforts to improve the nutritional quality of meals for their students. …
USDA extends free school meals through the summer, but who ultimately will pay? USDA’s announcement this week to extend free school meals through the summer – and possibly the end of the next school year – ensures students are fed even if pandemic-related safety measures keep them at home, but it doesn’t alleviate increased financial pressures schools face providing the expanded services.
US Department of Agriculture Sec. Tom Vilsack told school nutrition professionals gathered virtually at the School Nutrition Association’s Legislative Action Conference March 9 that the department would extend through Sept. 30, 2021, key COVID-19 Summer Food Service Program and Seamless Summer Option waivers that allow schools to serve free meals to students outside of required group settings and meal times and allow guardians to pick up meals for their children, including in bulk to cover multiple days to reduce exposure to the coronavirus through less frequ