FRAC Chat

Earlier this month, the National Healthy School Meals for All Coalition, which FRAC convenes, hosted a virtual congressional briefing, Free Healthy School Meals for All: Nourishing Kids and Supporting Affordability for Families. More than 400 people attended the event to hear a Republican state legislator, a parent, a special education teacher, and a doctor share why providing school meals at no charge to all students is essential to strengthening household food security and helping children thrive.

School meal applications and household income forms have long been the method of connecting children to nutrition assistance and identifying the supports school districts need to function. The expansion of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and the growing adoption of Healthy School Meals for All (HSMFA) policies have reduced the need for households to submit applications for free school meals. However, these forms remain an important tool for connecting families to additional nutrition benefits, such as the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program (Summer EBT), and for ensuring that schools receive critical education funding and other essential resources that support student success.

This week begins Hispanic Heritage Month, first established in 1968 under President Lyndon Johnson. It was extended in 1988 to span from September 15 to October 15, a period that celebrates the independence of numerous Latin American countries from Spanish colonial rule.

The budget reconciliation law, H.R. 1, enacted in July 2025, made harmful changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), including expanding who is subject to a three-month time limit. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is expected to publish a proposed rule codifying the changes to work requirements for time-limited SNAP recipients.

As students return to school, educators are focused on creating welcoming classrooms, building new relationships, and preparing students for a successful year of learning. Yet for many children, one of the biggest barriers to success has nothing to do with academics. Food insecurity threatens the health and well-being of millions of children every day, affecting their ability to focus, participate, and thrive in school. Fortunately, Back-to-school season gives teachers, counselors, and school leaders an opportunity to help ensure that every child begins the year with the most essential school supply: access to the nutrition they need to succeed in the classroom and beyond.