Free school meals are a necessity. Children are among the most vulnerable to poverty and millions are food insecure at a time in their lives when a well-balanced diet is crucial to their development.

Children facing hunger are more likely to repeat a grade in elementary school, have developmental impairments or delays, and have more social and behavioral problems—all of which increase the likelihood they will enter the school-to-prison pipeline.

Prior to 2020—when Congress temporarily funded meals for all children enrolled in public school regardless of income as part of pandemic support—many schools enacted "lunch-shaming" practices that stigmatized children living in or near poverty and reinforced income inequality.

Moreover, only providing for the most impoverished creates bureaucracy that require collecting and tracking applications on an individual basis—an unnecessary nuisance for time- and resource-strapped schools and families. The more bureaucracy, the less likely the most vulnerable children—those in foster care or unstable households, English language learners, disabled, undocumented or mixed status families, and others—will be able to access school nutrition.

Providing nutrition for all is a practical solution that leads to lower food insecurity, healthier diets, improved academic performance, and more revenue for schools.

Sign the petition if you agree: Every child's school lunch should be free.

Participating Organizations