Free breakfast for Boise students? It ‘sends an important message,’ administrator says
All students in the Boise School District will get free breakfast beginning next school year, an initiative administrators said will ensure kids have access to nutritious meals at the start of each day.
The district’s school board approved the program as part of its budget for the 2024-2025 school year.
Administrators said providing free breakfast to all students will help reduce the stigma around getting free meals and ensure all students have food to eat in the morning.
Christy Smith, the district supervisor for food and nutrition services, in a news release said the initiative could help reduce food insecurity among students.
It “sends an important message to our students and families that good nutrition is critical to a healthy student and healthy learning environment,” she said.
Two years ago, a federal COVID-19 relief program that allowed school districts to offer free meals to all students expired. Once the program ended, students had to start paying full-price for their meals again unless they qualified for free or reduced-price meals. Administrators in school districts in the Treasure Valley worried it would lead to more students going hungry, though districts have said they never deny students a meal, even if they don’t have money.
Students who aren’t eligible for free or reduced-priced meals in the Boise School District will still have to pay for lunch at most of the district’s schools, which ranges from $2.60 to $3.10. Some schools in the district with a large percentage of low-income students automatically qualify for offering free lunch for all students.
The Boise School District also offers meals during the summer at several of its schools. Idaho lawmakers this year rejected another program that could have helped feed more than 100,000 low-income kids this summer with millions of dollars in federal funds this past session.
“Studies show that a well-nourished child who starts the day with breakfast is more likely to be at school, a better learner, and ready to participate in the classroom,” Deputy Superintendent Lisa Roberts said in the Boise news release. “By offering breakfast to all students, regardless of their financial status, we are fostering equality and inclusivity within our school communities.”
