Michigan is now slated to become one of five states in the country to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students in public schools.
The push comes after many districts were left with tens of thousands of dollars in school lunch debt.
The free breakfast and lunch for students were among the few signs of relief for families during the COVID-19 pandemic, but after two years, the price tag was once again placed on food in the cafeteria.
"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 for the Ann Arbor Public School District.
In one year, the district accumulated over $66,000 in student lunch debt.
"If the families don’t pay off the lunch debt, then the schools have to pay off that lunch debt, meaning schools are taking that money away from educational resources," Friend said.
Zubaida Azzeza and Rija Awan work with End the Cycle, a student-run organization at the University of Michigan.
End the Cycle was able to successfully pay off the entire student lunch debt at Carpenter Elementary in Ann Arbor. It's one of the schools that don’t have a special program that caters to students who don’t qualify for free lunch but still struggle with food insecurity
But now, thanks to legislators, the entire state's lunch bill could be wiped clean, and breakfast and lunch can be free for all students starting next school year.
State Sen. Darrin Camilleri is a sponsor of the Health Schools for All bill, allotting $160 million to pay for school meals.
The bill, which passed the State Senate, is expected to be signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in the next few weeks.
