BISMARCK (KFGO) – During the Covid-19 pandemic, the federal government paid for universal free meals for all students regardless of income. With that subsidy ending this school year, some North Dakota legislators have joined those in a number of other states looking make the program permanent.
North Dakota House Bill 1491 would make lunch free for all North Dakota public schoolchildren for the next biennium.
Landis Larson is the president the state’s AFL-CIO. He says the union has studied the issue and found that some kids are skipping lunch because they know their family is in financial trouble.
“Missing meals is a really tough thing to do when you’re in school – it’s not good for concentration and can impact the whole class, and it’s not good for the individual student at all. If we could get it passed and all children could have meals without worrying if their parents could pay, it would be a good opportunity,” Larson said. “It’s $45 million per year – which is a small price to pay to treat all students equally.”
Hearings have not yet been scheduled for HB1491, which is sponsored by Fargo District 21 Representative Laurie Beth Hager. North Dakota United, the state’s teachers and public employees union, has joined the AFL-CIO in endorsing the bill.
