After two years of free school lunches thanks to a federal pandemic-related aid program, students in the Haines Borough School District will once again have to pay for food at school – or apply for free and reduced-price lunches based on household income.
On June 25, Congress passed the Keep Kids Fed Act, which extended universal meal waivers through Sept. 30. Haines has never provided meals during the summer, according to school officials, so the extension largely won’t affect the community until school starts in August.
Officials at the Haines School District said they don’t yet know if or how the program’s extension will affect the start of the school year. They said they are experiencing added logistical difficulties because the school food program is changing directors this summer. They hope to get more information to families by August.
Elizabeth Seitz, National School Lunch Program Coordinator for the Alaska Department of Education, said there is a chance that Congress will again extend the waivers into the 2022-23 school year. As of now, however, schools are set to revert to the pre-pandemic system this fall, with income eligibility thresholds set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
In the 2019-20 school year, 40% of students in the Haines district received free or reduced lunches, according to the Alaska Department of Education’s Free and Reduced Price Eligibility Report. Statewide, 51.08% — or about 57,000 students – qualified that year.
Last year, all students received free meals regardless of income level, but families still had to submit information for statistical purposes. The Alaska Income Eligibility Guidelines for 2022-2023 allow free lunch for families of four with an annual household income below $45,097 and reduced-price lunch for families of four with an annual income below $64,177.