The state’s second-largest school district will launch a free school breakfast program this fall.
Meanwhile, Idaho’s largest district will offer free breakfast and lunch at two grade schools, while encouraging more families to take advantage of the school meal program.
Here’s what’s happening in both districts:
Boise
Breakfast will be free to all students at all schools starting this fall, under a $2.1 million plan trustees approved on June 10.
“Studies show that a well-nourished child who starts the day with breakfast is more likely to be at school, a better learner, and ready to participate in the classroom,” said deputy superintendent Lisa Roberts, who will take over as superintendent on July 1.
District officials say the new program promises social benefits, as well as nutritional benefits.
“Providing free breakfast normalizes school meals, helping to eliminate the stigma that school meals are for low-income students,” said Christy Smith, the district’s food and nutrition services supervisor.
The district will cover the breakfast program from its general fund. Uncle Sam should reimburse some of the cost, since the district receives federal funding for new students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals, district spokesman Dan Hollar said Tuesday.
The district envisions the breakfast program to be ongoing, he said.
In addition to the districtwide free breakfast program, free lunches will be available to all students at 20 schools.
These schools will fall under the federal Community Eligibility Provision, which allows low-income schools to offer free meals to all students. The CEP program waives all eligibility requirements, so families do not have to apply for the free meals.
Boise’s CEP schools are Frank Church High School; Fairmont and South junior high schools; Garfield, Grace Jordan, Hawthorne, Hillcrest, Horizon, Jefferson, Koelsch, Lowell, Monroe, Morley Nelson, Mountain View, Owyhee, Taft, Valley View, Whitney and Whittier elementary schools; and Lincoln Early Learning Center.
West Ada
Free breakfast and lunch will be available to all students at two CEP schools: Meridian and Ustick elementary schools.
Starting Aug. 1, families in West Ada’s other schools can apply to see if they qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
Anne Brock, West Ada’s school nutrition director, is hoping for a rebound in application numbers. After the federal government covered free meals during the COVID-19 pandemic, some parents simply got out of the habit of applying for federal assistance, she said in an interview Tuesday.
Brock would also like to see more students partake. Last school year, West Ada served between 13,000 and 15,000 lunches, accounting for well less than half of the district’s enrollment. Participation peaked on one school day, when the district served about 22,000 breakfasts and lunches.
