School Meal Programs and SNAP Must be Strengthened During COVID-19

When the wave of school closures began, millions of students who rely on school meal programs were left without access to meals they could previously count on. In response to the gap in meal services, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued important waivers to allow schools to provide students with healthy meals through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) and to allow meals to be served outside of the standard group setting to support social distancing. SFSP and SSO allow schools, local governments, and community organizations to serve free meals to children in need every summer. This coming school year, officials will likely need to rely more heavily on these programs as many schools will utilize virtual learning or staggered schedules to keep students safe.

That’s why it is critical that USDA extend waivers that allow schools to serve students while adhering to recommended COVID-19 safety measures. Federal policy changes are needed to bolster access to school meals during modified school schedules this fall.

How USDA can help:

• Allow schools to continue utilizing SFSP and SSO throughout 2020-2021 school year.
  A vaccine for COVID-19 is not expected until sometime in 2021, so it’s likely that in many communities across the country there will be at least part-time virtual learning. Without an extension to the SFSP and SSO, schools will be largely reliant on the National School Lunch and the School Breakfast program. While these programs are important, they are designed to provide meals at school during the school day.

  If USDA does not extend the SFSP and SSO waiver there could be a significant increase in administrative burden for schools to process applications and identify eligible students. The higher SFSP reimbursement rate can help schools continue serving consistent meals, while avoiding the stigma associated with identifying students eligible for free and reduced-price meals in the National School Lunch and the School Breakfast Program.

• Include SFSP and SSO in the non-congregate waiver.
  This waiver eliminated the requirement that National School Lunch and the School Breakfast Program meals be provided in group settings given the need for social distancing due to COVID-19. This flexibility has allowed school districts to develop food service processes to fit their community’s needs. For example, many districts organized grab-and-go sites and school bus delivery services.Expanding the non-congregate waiver to include the Summer Food Service Program and the Seamless Summer Option will allow non-school sponsors, such as local government and community organizations, to continue feeding students when they are not in school.
• Expand the Area Eligibility waiver for SFSP and SSO.
  This waiver has been crucial in providing meals to students during closures. It allows sites to provide free meals to students even in areas where less than 50% of the student population have been deemed eligible for free or reduced-price meals. This waiver is important as the pandemic has caused financial strains for many Americans, many of whom did not previously need federal food assistance. Keeping this waiver throughout the 2020-2021 school year will help feed students in households with family members who are newly unemployed or have experienced a significant loss of income. It is estimated that up to 54 million people could go hungry due to the pandemic.

Access to consistent meals should also be guaranteed at home. SNAP is the primary federal food assistance program, and it has shown to be particularly important during economic downturns. The demand for the program has grown since the pandemic as demonstrated by the majority of states applying for increased flexibilities. For example, nearly all states have applied and been approved to provide benefits for households with children who have been impacted by school closures. To ensure that meals are available at home in addition to in school, SNAP benefits should be strengthened.

Actions Congress Can Take:

• Increase SNAP Benefit Levels
  Congress can optimize the program that has proven to be effective when Americans need it the most by boosting the maximum benefits by 15%. Although this amounts to a modest $25 more a month per household member, the increase could mean 33 more meals each month for a family of four. Congress should also increase the minimum monthly SNAP benefit from $15 to $30 to support families struggling with higher food prices and lower wages due to the pandemic.
• Reduce Barriers to Access
  To ensure families in need do not face undue challenges to accessing SNAP benefits during the pandemic, work requirements and other barriers should be removed. In addition to addressing food insecurity, SNAP helps to support local economies. Research has shown that SNAP has a return on investment of more than 1.5 to 1.

Overall, there is no better time than now to solidify nutritious meals for American students and their families. In a time of much uncertainty, access to healthy meals should be a given. BPC encourages Congress and USDA to take action immediately to shore up these vital resources and give families the peace of mind knowing they can at least rely on receiving healthy meals during this difficult time.