Every student deserves the nourishment that helps them show up ready to learn each day. National School Lunch Week is a reminder that school meals keep students focused, healthy, and engaged in the classroom. But recent federal changes to key safety net programs could put free and reduced-price meals at risk for nearly 457,000 students.
Many families have never needed to apply for free and reduced-price school lunch under the National School Lunch Program. Their children are enrolled automatically because the family takes part in a qualifying safety net program. H.R. 1, the federal tax and spending law signed in July 2025, puts that automatic bridge to school meals at risk.
Local schools and districts use lists from the state that show which students are enrolled in programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Medicaid. Those students are automatically signed up for free or reduced-price school meals, a process called direct certification. When a family loses SNAP or Medicaid benefits, the child can drop out of automatic enrollment, and the family must then apply on their own. Some families miss that step or don’t realize it’s needed. Their child may end up paying full price at the lunch line next school year, even though they still qualify.
H.R. 1 expanded SNAP work requirements to adults through age 64 and to parents whose youngest child is 14 or older. It also created Medicaid work requirements, made adults renew coverage more often, and cut eligibility for some immigrants. As a result, fewer families will get the food and health coverage they rely on. SNAP participation in New Jersey has already fallen by more than 53,000 people, including more than 21,000 children. Many New Jerseyans face the risk of losing health coverage when federal Medicaid work requirements take effect. People are already losing coverage in Nebraska, which started its work requirements early.
Although children aren’t directly subject to these rules, they can lose benefits when their family does. Picture a family that has recently lost SNAP benefits because of new work requirements. Their child still qualifies for school meals but is no longer automatically enrolled. Unless a parent knows about the application, that child could go without lunch or pay a price.
New Jersey children rely heavily on direct certification. Out of nearly 689,000 New Jersey students eligible for free and reduced-price meals, almost 457,000 are directly certified through programs such as SNAP, Medicaid, and TANF.
The risks from H.R. 1 extend beyond individual families. The federal Community Eligibility Provision lets schools and districts serve free meals to every student. To qualify, at least 25 percent of a school’s students must be directly certified or automatically eligible in another way. In the 2024-25 school year, 343 New Jersey schools used community eligibility. If enough students lose direct certification, a school could fall below 25 percent and stop offering free meals to everyone.
New Jersey has already taken first steps. In June, Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed a law requiring public schools to post the school meal application on their websites. This week, Assembly Speaker Coughlin proposed a bill that would require public school districts to provide free school breakfast for every enrolled student. State leaders should build on these steps and find new ways to keep students enrolled when their families lose automatic eligibility.
School meals fuel learning. No eligible child should miss a meal because of paperwork.
