Bill to provide free school meals to disadvantaged Delaware students heads to Carney's desk

DOVER — Delaware students facing financial hardship could soon receive school meal assistance, as the state Senate on Thursday provided unanimous final passage to a measure that now awaits Gov. John Carney’s signature.

The twice-substituted House Bill 125 was led by Rep. Rae Moore, D-Middletown, and Rep. Bryan Shupe, R-Milford, in the House of Representatives and in the Senate by Majority Whip Elizabeth “Tizzy” Lockman, D-Wilmington. They introduced it to ensure that underprivileged students can receive proper nutrition for success in the classroom.

“You may recall discussions that we’ve had about the potential for providing universal school meals for all students in our public schools, as an ambition to ensure that we meet our moral and ethical obligation to provide our children in our schools with the basic necessities they need,” Sen. Lockman said Thursday.

“Including nutritious food (will) safeguard their well-being and make sure that they’re in a position to learn.”

The original version of the act, proposed by Rep. Moore in April 2023, would have provided free school breakfasts and lunches to all students, regardless of financial background.

However, that rendition carried an average price of $40 million for each of the next three fiscal years, which led Rep. Moore and Rep. Shupe to combine efforts, bringing the average cost down to an average of $247,000 for each of the next three years.

The compromise came by providing free in-school food to students eligible for federal reduced-price meal programs, which are offered to those whose family incomes are between 130% and 185% of U.S. poverty guidelines.

Sen. Lockman acknowledged the bipartisan work and the negotiations of the House sponsors for “how to begin to take some steps to make sure that we are doing more to feed more of our young people.”

The legislation was included in the final budget bill for fiscal year 2025, which unanimously passed both houses of the General Assembly on June 20.

Such appropriations will cover the cost of the bill, as well as the difference between the federal reimbursement rate for reduced-price meals and free meals, allowing students who qualify for reduced-price food to receive it free of charge.

The budget bill also allows the Department of Education to use an alternative measure to determine low socioeconomic status in lieu of the eligibility for free and reduced-priced lunch. It notes that this alternative will not affect any student’s eligibility to receive free or reduced meals.