Eating a healthy lunch is important for everyone. After breakfast, lunch is essential for replenishing the brain and the body. It provides you with the nutrients you need to get through the rest of the day. For students, it is especially important that they eat a healthy lunch so that they can stay focused and energized during their long class periods.

Due to COVID-19, many federal waivers allowed free meal programs for their schools. Students would have access to free school meals regardless of their family’s income. According to News 12 Connecticut, Congress waived income eligibility requirements for the National School Lunch Program in March 2020, resulting in free school meals. As of right now, Stamford Public Schools still serves free breakfast and lunch to all students under the Community Eligibility Provision. However, Stamford Advocate explains that in early January of this year, the Board of Education had decided to revert back to a previous “A/B” high school schedule for the 2026-27 school year causing concerns that this choice would possibly lead to the end of free meals for students. The “A/B” schedule would require 30 extra teachers at high schools and would cost around $3 million. These additional costs would definitely require budget cuts. So, would this extra money really be worth the loss of free school meals? Charging students for school meals can prevent schools from funding shortages, allow schools to afford higher quality food, and cover operational costs. Nevertheless, free lunch supports student health, adds financial reassurance to households, and lessens the social divide between students.

School meals are highly nutritious as they have to follow specific standards. Each meal includes a balanced combination of different food groups. When selecting meals, students are required to choose at least one fruit if their meal does not come with a fruit or vegetable. Under the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service, school lunches are the most nutritious food source for children in America. The national school lunch program must require fruits, vegetables, dark green subgroups, red/orange subgroups, beans/peas/ lentils subgroups, starchy subgroups, other vegetables subgroups, grains, meats, and milk. There are also standards on calorie intake based on grade level. These nutrition requirements allow students to receive healthy, well-balanced school lunches. With paid school meals, students are more likely to turn to other cheaper, less healthy options for their meals. With free school meals, more students will probably default to school meals and save their money.

Money also creates social divides by separating students through clothing and technology. This can cause students who don’t have access to luxury items to feel left out. Students may create cliques based on wealth. Free lunch minimizes segregation and bullying based on wealth. Stamford High social worker Katie Bilik explains how free school meals lessens the financial burdens for students. “Free school meals gives kids the chance to have lunch in school without having to worry about paying for it or having money on them.” When all students have free lunch, there is a reduced social divide and there is no shame associated with free meals.

Ultimately, free meal programs are very beneficial for schools. The loss of free lunch programs could cause many families to face food insecurity. Even if qualifications to receive reduced-price meals are offered at schools, there would still be added financial burdens to families. Many families may just reach the cutoff to receive the reduced-prices, while those who are eligible may still struggle to pay or forget to sign up. Charging students for school meals is not worth the distress that it puts on families in need. The cheapest option isn’t always the most ethical.