The Methow Valley School District and Vancouver Public Schools have teamed up with OSPI, asking the legislature to prioritize Universal Meals in support of the 1.1 million students who attend public schools in the State of Washington.
As stated on OSPI’s website, students’ basic needs must be met for them to be able to learn. Our country has a long history of providing free and reduced-price meals to students experiencing poverty, and throughout the pandemic, the federal government provided meals for all K–12 students at no cost to them or their families, regardless of their economic status.
While Washington has made great strides in expanding access to free school meals, there are still around 300,000 students who have to pay for meals. Our school meals bill (HB 1238) passed in the House with strong bipartisan support and is moving through the Senate. While the bill has significant changes from our original request, it’s a step forward to providing more meals free of charge to students.
- Learn more about how School Meal Programs work: http://ow.ly/sPAc50NkwoJ
- Learn more about Supt. Reykdal’s school meals proposal: http://ow.ly/F3QT50NkwG4
- Learn more about our legislative priorities: http://ow.ly/1lQz50N8rb2