by Roxanne Henry

Editor’s Note: This article updates a previous post.

It’s the first month of public school in New York City, the time of year when applications for free and reduced-price lunch get sent home with students from kindergarten through high school — and, as a result, the time of the year that thousands get lost at the bottom of children’s backpacks or among the stacks of papers they bring home, never to be filled out. Every year, children in need miss out on the free, healthy meals they are entitled to, simply because they never turn in the forms.

This year the consequences could be particularly harsh. Growing numbers of New York City families are struggling to afford food. For these families, failing to apply for free and reduced-price school meals means having to pay for their children’s lunch, cutting into their families’ slim food budgets.

Applicants may submit their forms at any point throughout the school year. But children who received free or reduced-price meals last year must reapply by October 18 to avoid being switched automatically to the full-price category. Until they turn in their application, these families will have to pay $1.50 per child, per meal.

Making matters worse, City budget cuts have caused 136 schools to be removed from the Universal School Meals program (Provision 2). Provision 2 removes some of the barriers that prevent many eligible families from participating: it reduces the burdensome paperwork by asking families to apply just once every four years, and with all children receiving lunch for free, it also eliminates the stigma traditionally associated with the school lunch program — the sense that receiving a free meal marks those students (and their families) as poor.

Of the students being removed from Provision 2, children at 48 schools — the ones who have been in the program the longest — have an even earlier date by which to apply: September 24. These students are at higher risk of missing the deadline. Because their schools have been providing universal free school meals for years without applications, families are likely to be less familiar with the application process, yet will have just 11 school days to learn about the change and submit their application. If they don’t, they will have to pay the full price for their children’s meals, even if they are eligible for free. Unsurprisingly, we have found that when schools lose Provision 2, participation in school meals declines.

The Food Bank has long advocated for a true Universal School Meals program, one in which all students can access free meals without having to submit an application. Provision 2, while not ideal, was a step in the right direction. But the number of participating schools should increase, not decrease, particularly at a moment when so many families are being forced to tighten their food budgets.

As a convening member of the New York City School Meals Coalition, the Food Bank is working with other New York City advocates to encourage all eligible families to submit an application for free and reduced-price school lunch, and to inform families in the 136 schools being dropped from Provision 2 about the change. (See the complete list of affected schools, including those facing the September 24 deadline.)

If you are a parent or guardian, contact your child’s school for more information on how to apply for free or reduced-price lunch.