Changes to SNAP are beginning to create ripple effects in school meal programs, with more than 1 million children already having lost SNAP benefits following changes to the federal program. As Stateline reports, some of those children could also lose access to free school breakfast and lunch, even when their families continue to face significant food and financial pressures.
The connection works in two ways. Children in SNAP households are generally automatically eligible for free school meals, so losing SNAP can mean losing that automatic eligibility. At the same time, SNAP participation is one factor used to determine whether schools qualify for the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which allows eligible schools to provide free meals to all students without requiring individual applications. As SNAP enrollment declines, some schools could therefore lose access to the funding that supports universal free meals.
The effects are already emerging in some communities. Miami-Dade County Public Schools, for example, announced that it would no longer provide free meals at all of its more than 500 schools because changes in federal reimbursement eligibility affected its ability to participate in CEP districtwide. Other districts are watching their SNAP participation rates closely because reductions could translate into significant losses in federal meal reimbursements.