In 1946, US President Harry Truman signed into law the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, which established what is now called the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). The NSLP reimburses states for providing free and low-cost meals to qualifying students. In its first year, about 7 million children participated, rising to over 30 million by 2016. Schools may only serve free or reduced-price lunches to children who qualify, based on household income and family size. Currently, children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty level qualify for free lunch, while those from families with incomes between 130 and 185 percent qualify for reduced-price lunch.
Unfortunately, the eligibility guidelines leave many children in a difficult situation: their parents earn more than 130 percent of the federal poverty level but not enough to consistently afford full or reduced-price meals. This gap often results in school lunch debt, which can have acute psychological impacts on children, including stigma and bullying from peers. For many children, these school meals are often their only reliable source of daily nutrition.
Eight states have established universal school meal programs for schools participating in the NSLP. Other states have eliminated the reduced-price lunch category, making meals free for any student from a family with an income below 185 percent of the federal poverty level. However, most states have not adopted such expanded programs, leaving millions of children without consistent access to school meals.
What is the primary purpose of the passage?
A. To highlight the role of household income in determining the eligibility for reduced-price and free school lunches.
B. To describe the growth of the National School Lunch Program from 1946 to 2016 and its expansion across states.
C. To discuss the limitations in the eligibility criteria of the National School Lunch Program and examine how states have addressed these gaps.
D. To analyze the effectiveness of state-level school meal programs in comparison to the federal National School Lunch Program.
E. To emphasize the importance of nutrition in childhood development as it relates to school meal programs.