Gov. Ned Lamont and Education Commissioner Charlene M. Russell-Tucker have expanded Connecticut”™s free school meals program for the 2023-2024 school year, enabling more students to receive breakfast and lunch at no additional cost to them or their families.
The $16 million funding for this endeavor comes from the American Rescue Plan Act. All students in non-Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) schools participating in the federal School Breakfast Program (SBP) will be able to receive breakfast meals at no cost, including day students within residential childcare institutions. Approximately 114 districts participating in the SBP are eligible to receive this funding serving an estimated 177,243 eligible students.
Students who are eligible for reduced-price meals in non-CEP schools participating in the federal National School Lunch Program (NSLP) will also be able to receive lunch at no cost, including day students within residential childcare institutions. Approximately 128 districts participating in the NSLP are eligible to receive this funding, serving an estimated 13,197 eligible students.
“This investment ensures that each student begins their day with a nourishing meal, fostering learning and growth,” Lamont said. “Additionally, removing the family portion of the cost of lunch for students eligible for reduced-price meals means more money in their pockets for other essential needs. By ensuring access to nutritious meals, we empower our students to excel academically and in all facets of life.”
This is just a furtherance of the nanny state. Since when is it the government’s responsibility to feed children?
Parents are responsible for their own children. Nobody else. The more the government does to “equalize†things for the few families that do a poor job, the more it simply enables… and even encourages all families to abdicate their parental duties.
This is just weakening our society.