By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays USD 489 school district reported a 16 percent increase in the number of students qualifying for free meals compared to the 2018-19 — the last full school year before the pandemic.
The number of students receiving free lunches jumped from 926 in 2018-19 to 1,078 as of Sept. 20.
The USDA has provided free meals for all students for at least a portion of the last three years. This is the first year since the pandemic families will be required to pay full prices for meals.
Jessica Younker, USD 489 director of nutrition services, said she thought the increase was due to a change in how the state qualifies children for free meals as well as an increase in food need in the community.
"Inflation has hit us all pretty hard," Younker said. "Going from free meals to paid can mean about $400 or $500 a year depending on if the kid eats breakfast or lunch."
The state automatically qualifies students who are from families receiving food assistance and are in foster care for free schools meals. This year, the state added any students who also receive Medicaid to that list of automatic qualifiers.
Younker said that increased the number of students receiving free meals to some degree.
The income guidelines have also been adjusted during the last few years, which also might have qualified more students for free meals.
Younker said she thought the increase in free meal applications is a result of more food need in the community. She said this has been reflected in increased demand at local food pantries.
"The need for food in our community has definitely gone up with the cost of groceries going up. It's harder to put food on the table for a lot of families," she said. "I think this reflects that."
Some district schools participate in Food for Kids, which is a program through the Kansas Food Bank. Backpacks full of food are sent home with qualifying children each weekend. Hays High and Middle schools also have their own on-site food closets to help families in need.
These programs are organized on a school-by-school basis, Younker said.
Reduced-price meals have stayed comparably steady, Younker said.
Lincoln Elementary School has the highest concentration of students qualifying for free and reduced-cost meals — 62 percent of students qualify for free meals and another 11 percent qualify for reduced-price meals.
The rest of the schools in the district have in the 30 percent range of students qualifying for free meals. Eight to 10 percent of the other schools' students qualify for reduced-cost meals.
Ron Wilson, USD 489 superintendent, also reported on Sept. 20 enrollment numbers to the school board Monday, saying the district enrollment remains steady.
Hays High School saw the largest increase in students with a large freshmen class of 266 students.
Families can apply for free or reduced-price school meals at any point in the school year. An online application is available at www.ezmealapp.com.
Feature photo courtesy of Pixabay