Carrollton City Schools’ officials this week told WLBB Radio that the Trump administration plan to limit the number of people receiving food stamps– which would affect the number of students who would automatically qualify for free lunch at school–will not affect students in the current school year.
The federal government is working to trim the cost of food assistance programs and close what it views as “loopholes” regarding who qualifies for them by April 1st of 2020.
Carrollton City Schools Nutrition Director Laura Malmquist said there will be no impact on students who qualify for free meals this school year since the free-meal-application process has already been approved and will be good for the entire school year.
As for subsequent years, she said it still remains to be seen, but says she isn’t alarmed. She says the worst-case scenario the district may face is having be more mindful of walking parents/guardians through the application process since if they lose SNAP they will have to go through the free and reduced lunch application process.
While they likely would still be eligible, the automatic acceptance will go away along with the SNAP benefits.
