In prior years, Mingle said, parent volunteers closed that gap by running their own accessible meals program, connecting with local restaurants and food organizations to cook and deliver lunches to the school. That allows the district to opt out of the NSLP. However, about 4.3 percent of the families in town report an income below the federal poverty level, according to the National Center for Education Statistics data. In Warren Township, the median household income is an estimated $170,200. Public school districts with fewer than 5 percent of their students eligible for free and reduced-price meals don’t have to participate in either program.

If 20 percent or more of the students are eligible for free lunch, a district must also participate in the free School Breakfast Program. If more than 5 percent of the students in a district are eligible for free lunch, the district must participate in the National School Lunch Program. Those students who qualify for free and reduced-price lunches based on family income must have that option available to them. More than 90 percent are eating free afternoon snacks - an option Mingle says benefits athletes and other students who may stay late for games, practices or other activities.Īccording to state law, every public school district in New Jersey must make lunch available to all students. Mingle said that as of October, about half his district’s more than 1,600 students are getting free lunch every day, a number “much higher” than he and others anticipated.

In September, the state of New Jersey began distributing $375 per child in extended P-EBT benefits, which families can only access if their school participates in the NSLP. Department of Agriculture announced in April that because of the ongoing pandemic, the Biden administration was extending universal free lunch through the National School Lunch Program for all students through June 2022, regardless of income level. “Many more families are in need now than before Covid.”

“The calculus changed for this school year because every student would qualify,” Mingle said. His district in Somerset County hadn’t participated in the free lunch program in years past, but opted in this year. “It seems like it should be an obvious answer: Why would anyone not provide free lunch?” Matthew Mingle, superintendent of Warren Township Schools, said in an interview. By POLITICO’s count comparing school data obtained from the Department of Education, 233 district and charter schools do not participate in either program.

Seamless free meal