School lunch waver extension not included on new congressional spending bill

CNN– The new congressional spending bill does not include an extension of school lunch wavers. The waivers, authorized at the beginning of the pandemic, let schools distribute free meals to all students, without verifying their families’ income. The waivers also give districts the flexibility to offer grab and go meals for kids who are quarantining or studying remotely.

The USDA reports about 30 million students now receive free school meals. That’s up from about 20 million children who qualified before the pandemic.

Some lawmakers are pushing to extend the waivers for another year to give schools and students more time to transition back to pre-pandemic requirements.