The last thing any student wants is to go hungry. Although some children aren’t able to afford to bring and or buy school lunches, those in Dallas and Irving ISD are making a change for the better. It may seem like common sense to some, but a full stomach boosts contentment and that increases overall productivity and engagement in the classroom.
Dallas and Irving Independent School Districts are making a noteworthy move by now offering free meals to students, but this initiative underscores a broader trend of Texas falling behind in providing such support.
While Dallas and Irving ISDs are stepping up to provide free meals to their students, Texas as a whole is lagging in this area. The federal government offers funding to schools for free meals, but many Texas schools have not fully tapped into this resource. According to a recent report, Texas has a low rate of participation in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), a federal program that enables high-poverty schools to serve free meals to all students.
In light of these findings, advocates are now calling for more Texas school districts to take advantage of federal programs like CEP to ensure that students have access to free meals, reducing food insecurity and promoting better academic performance.
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