HARRISBURG (Newsradio 1020 KDKA) - Pennsylvania officials are urging the federal government to continue waivers that have expanded school meal programs during the coronavirus pandemic.
Without the waivers, the school meal program returns to pre-COVID requirements at the end of August says PA Education Deputy Secretary Pam Smith.
“This would have a catastrophic impact on Pennsylvania’s students and families,” said Smith.
Officials are seeking waivers that extend the summer food program into the fall, do away with eligibility limits and allow meals to be served by community groups outside the school, with many students remote learning.
“Earlier this week my counterparts and I urged USDA Secretary Perdue to take action to allow Pennsylvania to continue feeding our school children as we have from the start of the pandemic through this summer,” said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. “It’s one thing for children to lose school plays and birthday parties with friends, but access to food is a human right. These kids are relying on us to advocate for their food security.”
The Wolf Administration is urging the following actions:
- Allow the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Seamless Summer Option (SSO) to be used to feed children during the 2020-21 school year. Permitting both schools and nonprofits to continue use of this waiver would significantly reduce administrative burdens, limit confusion of where meals can be accessed, allow meals to be provided at locations most convenient for families, and help to limit overt identification of children from low-income households.
- Expand the non-congregate and other approved waivers for the National School Lunch Program to the SFSP and SSO to allow these programs to be used to feed children when they are not physically in school. Extending these waivers will allow community-based nonprofit organizations to assist schools in meeting the needs of children at locations that work best for families, particularly on days when children are engaging in remote, virtual learning.
- Extend the Area Eligibility waiver for SFSP and SSO through the 2020-21 school year. Allowing feeding sites to provide meals in communities that do not meet the 50 percent free or reduced-price threshold for area eligibility has been essential to providing necessary food to children despite the uncertainty and stress that has come with the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Waive the Afterschool Activity Requirement for the Afterschool Meal and Snack Programs available through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) through the 2020-21 school year. This waiver is critical for CACFP sites to be able to provide access to meals and snacks when providing the activity component isn’t otherwise safe or feasible.
- Allow those providing meals through the SFSP or SSO to also serve through the Afterschool Meal and Snack Programs. While children receiving meals through SFSP or SSO are only able to receive two meals per day, USDA allowed a third meal to be provided under guidance issued through the unanticipated school closure waiver. This waiver was critical over the past six months in providing three meals a day to children in need of food assistance and will be critical to continue in order for community-based nonprofit organizations to replicate the meal options being provided by schools.
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