(WXYZ) — Lunch money could be a thing of the past because this year, every student in Michigan public schools will receive breakfast and lunch for free.
Michigan is now the seventh state in the country to completely fund school lunch when school starts in just a couple of weeks. It's having a huge impact on families.
At Hasiley Elementary in Ann Arbor, the countdown is a stirring feeling of both nervousness and excitement for Principal Robin Kocher.
"It’s long, long overdue. One of the things we need to do before we can teach children is remove barriers that interfere with them learning, and hunger is one of those things," Kocher said.
According to Feeding America, one in eight kids in our state faces food insecurity. But critics of the health school meals for all initiative believe that issue was addressed through the state's free and reduced lunch program, and the $160 million tab would be better spent on issues like school security.
"The good thing about the budget that we passed is we actually covered almost every item that we believe our schools need across Michigan," State Sen. Darrin Camilleri said.
He told us about $300 million of the school aid budget is going toward safety and mental health resources. Making school meals free for all removes the stigma for families who need help.
"I've seen students come in and say, 'I'm hungry but grandma says I can’t get breakfast today because we can’t afford it anymore,'" Kelsey Friend, a math coach in Ann Arbor, said.
She said she knows first-hand there are families just above the income threshold that struggle to pay for lunch.
Kocher said the cost and time-saving will help more families than you think.
"It’s hard to disagree about feeding children," she said.
The state still requires people to fill out a form to enroll in the program, but unlike before, everyone will be filling it out as part of the packet of paperwork you get at the start of the school year.
