by Christopher Derico
Without immediate action from Congress and the White House, school meal programs are in jeopardy and kids are at greater risk of hunger.
That’s because critical child nutrition waivers expire on June 30, leaving schools in the lurch as we continue to combat rising food prices, skyrocketing inflation, high gas prices and a strained supply chain that’s making it harder to procure food.
This will not only impact Harrison County schools, but districts across West Virginia and throughout the entire country, which will see major financial struggles due to all these issues. Child nutrition programs play an important role in the education system, and they continue to provide the best services possible to all students, but at a cost to districts — possibly from curricular programs.
This is a crisis that’s coming fast.
It’s also entirely preventable. I urge Sens. Manchin and Capito and Reps. McKinley and Mooney to work with the White House to extend waivers through the 2022-23 school year. Without them, schools will lose important flexibility to continue feeding kids, and school meal budgets will plunge deeper into the red.
