That’s according to the South Carolina Department of Education, which sought to reassure parents that enough funding exists to allow children from low-income families to continue receiving subsidized meals at school at least through June. The agency had worried the reimbursements for schools could stop coming in after next month.
“There was some concern that could be impacted,” spokesman Ryan Brown said. “However, we’ve been assured –initially through March– then today they went a step further and said through the second quarter.”
Almost 500,000 low-income students qualify for free or reduced-price meals in South Carolina. The US Department of Agriculture, which oversees the free-and-reduced lunch program, is among the agencies currently victim to the monthlong shutdown as President Trump and Democratic members of Congress refuse to budget from their positions on a proposed border wall.
The US Education Department is not impacted by the shutdown, meaning any grants or programs it oversees are still in effect.
Children in households with incomes at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty level are eligible for free school meals.Those whose families have income between 130 to 185 percent of the federal poverty level are eligible for reduced-price school meals and can be charged no more than 30 cents for breakfast and 40 cents for lunch.
