Connecticut is regarded as one of the wealthiest states in the country, praised for its schools, yet its kids go hungry.
Five of our public school districts rank within the top 0.008% most sought after nationwide, yet we lag behind states that have already passed permanent laws to ensure free meals for their children.
One in eight children in the state suffer from hunger.
You would expect that these schools, so sought after by parents, would provide their students with all the necessary resources to learn and succeed to their fullest potential. Yet, I remember being 6 years old coming home from school hungry, even though my mom packed me lunch. I remember sitting at the lunch table feeling guilty because I had lunch and my classmates didn’t. So every day, I did one of two things: when I brought a full lunchbox, I would split my sandwich and share my snacks; when I brought lunch money, perfectly counted to get me exactly what I needed, I would spare a dollar or two so that a classmate could buy something to get them through the day. That is not something a 6-year-old should ever have to do. Not in Connecticut, not in the United States, not anywhere.
Although that is how much of my public education continued, there has begun to be some progress. In recent years, school meals have been invested in to give all students the ability to eat a meal at no cost during their school day. Remarkably, it took a global pandemic and a total shutdown of public infrastructure to bring about a necessary change in our public school system. In accordance with public health recommendations, transactions for meals were completely removed during the 2021-2022 school year.
This pandemic-era policy that offered free school meals to all kids provided all students regardless of economic background or reduced lunch eligibility with breakfast and lunch. Before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, students’ eligibility for free or reduced-price school breakfasts and lunches depended on their household income. However, in March 2020, the federal government broadened this policy, permitting schools to provide meals free of charge to all students, regardless of income level. This extension remained in place until 2022, with 90% of American school districts opting to participate. Despite this widespread participation, Congress did not continue their support for the next school year. Instead, the state took matters into their own hands and found ways to support the program themselves.
In 2023, $16 million of funds received from the American Rescue Plan Act were invested into Connecticut school meals. With these funds put toward our School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program, 242 participating districts were eligible and able to serve more than 190,000 students.
Through these free meal programs, the academic benefits associated with having adequate meals during the school day impacted more students. There’s a reason why breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day, and it has everything to do with performance. Increased participation in school breakfast has been shown to raise test scores, daily attendance, and class participation. It reduces tardiness and student absences. Memory and behavior also improve with breakfast before school. Additionally, it has been linked to the reduction of the severity of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.
But all this improvement, all of these benefits, and the opportunity for wider outreach will be lost if the state doesn’t continue to invest in meals. The current funding is set to expire in June 2024, and if no extension is passed, it’s back to square one with hungry students.
H.B. 5510: An Act Concerning Funding For Student Meals, provides a temporary, but necessary solution. It is essentially an expansion of what is set to expire soon. But it is stuck in committee, and will die there if we do nothing. We have cared about providing school meals for the past three years, why stop now after we have made so much improvement to the lives of children?
To be able to learn, our children need to eat, and that cannot happen if we don’t get this bill passed. Contact your representatives and urge them to take action for our children, their future, and the improvement of their day-to-day lives.
Sara Molina of Stamford is a sophomore at Yale University.