By Jamie Martin
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a new policy prohibiting the imposition of junk fees on students eligible for free and reduced-price school meals through the School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program.
Scheduled for implementation in the 2027-2028 school year, this initiative aims to lessen the financial strain on families with incomes below 185% of federal poverty guidelines, which equates to about $57,720 for a family of four, by eliminating processing fees when they purchase school meals.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service has communicated this policy to schools across the United States via a memo.
The timeline for implementation provides schools ample opportunity to revise existing systems or establish new contracts, although USDA encourages schools to adopt this requirement sooner.
The memo also emphasizes the need for schools to provide all families with a no-cost option for making deposits into school meal accounts and to inform families about this method.
“USDA and schools across America share the common goal of nourishing schoolchildren and giving them the fuel they need to learn, grown and thrive,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “While today’s action to eliminate extra fees for lower income households is a major step in the right direction, the most equitable path forward is to offer every child access to healthy school meals at no cost. We will continue to work with Congress to move toward that goal so all kids have the nutrition they need to reach their full potential.”
“Today’s announcement reflects the President and Vice President’s broader efforts to lower food costs and eliminate junk fees,” said National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard. “The Department of Agriculture’s action applies to the 1 million children who receive reduced priced meals and lays the foundation to eliminate these junk fees for all 30 million children that receive healthy meals at school every day.”
K-12 schools serve around 30 million children nutritious meals each day. This new policy will particularly assist the more than 1 million students eligible for reduced-price meals, ensuring they are not charged more than $0.30 for breakfast and $0.40 for lunch, thereby addressing the hidden costs associated with online payments and promoting equity for students on reduced-price meal plans.
Photo Credit: usda
Categories: National