USDA Approves Free Meals For All Oklahoma Students During Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved a waiver to allow all Oklahoma students statewide two free meals a day amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister announced Monday.

OSDE applied for the waiver on March 11 and March 25 in order to remove the requirement that school feeding sites be in high-need areas.

Before the approved waiver, districts could only provide free meals only if 50% of students at a school met the eligibility for free and reduced lunch, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Education.

“Amid such uncertainty and instability, we should not be asking our families or schools to worry over needless red tape,” Hofmeister said. “This waiver means that, following a simple application, any district in the state can establish feeding sites for up to two free meals a day for every student who needs one.”

The waiver is in effect until June 30, 2020, or until the federally declared public health emergency expires.