Sparks, NEV. -
June 27, 2022The State of Nevada has invested $75 million for
free school meals in Nevada schools operating the National School Lunch Program
(NSLP) this upcoming academic year. Approved by the Interim Finance Committee on
June 21, 2022, American Rescue Plan Act funds will be used to continue pandemic
recovery and ensure students have food to eat by providing free school breakfast
and lunch.
“Between distance learning over the last two
years and economic impacts affecting families, it is important to support
parents and students any way we can,” said Governor Steve Sisolak. “We know
students can’t learn on an empty stomach. This is one way we can help make sure
students have access to healthy meals at school, and provide some relief to
parents.”
Governor Sisolak committed to free school meals
for students during his State of the State speech earlier this year as a way to
address food security in Nevada and provide assistance to children and their
parents. Studies
have shown that students who have access to nutritious foods perform better
in school.
School meals have been free since the onset of
the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020 through U.S. Department of Agriculture
waivers. Prior to the pandemic, the only meals provided free or at a reduced
rate were at schools operating the NSLP to students whose families met eligibility
requirements. As the U.S. transitioned to pandemic recovery efforts, the
waivers were not renewed at a national level for all students. Governor Sisolak,
Nevada Department of Education (NDE) and the Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA)
recognized this gap and worked throughout the spring to build a program that
would ensure students receive free school meals for one more academic year. This
funding was presented and approved by the Legislature on Tuesday.
“No child should worry when their next meal will
come,” said NDA Director Jennifer Ott. “Children have depended on meals in
schools for the last two years, and it is crucial to give families more time to
recover from the pandemic and the current economic conditions.”
As
part of the process, it is important for parents to fill out the Free and
Reduced Lunch eligibility form when registering their child for school. This is
a critical step to ensure that Nevada receives all the federal funding and
services available to support our students this next school year and into the
future.
“We are grateful this funding will provide each
and every one of our students another year of learning without the worry of
where their next meal will come from,” said State Superintendent of Public
Instruction Jhone Ebert. “Addressing food insecurity among our students and
communities is a vital piece to ensuring they can achieve their full potential.
I encourage all families to fill out the Free and Reduced Lunch eligibility
form to support and strengthen this program.”
Free school meals is part of a series of food security
improvement programs initiated by the NDA. Other programs have included $500,000
going towards
improving infrastructure and food accessibility, $400,000 towards food
accessibility for food
insecure senior populations, and $2 million toward the Home
Feeds Nevada agriculture food purchase program. To learn more about food
security programs and find other resources, visit agri.nv.gov.
About the Nevada Department of Agriculture
The Nevada
Department of Agriculture (NDA) mission is to preserve, protect and
promote Nevada’s agriculture. The department has 225 dedicated employees
providing services in its five divisions, Administrative Services, Animal
Industry, Measurement Standards, Food and Nutrition, and Plant Health and
Compliance. The department’s $288 million budget facilitates regulatory and
administrative work in agriculture and food manufacturing industries,
protecting public and environmental health and worker safety, and providing
food distribution and oversight for the United States Department of
Agriculture’s school and community nutrition programs.
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