Senate enacts Bellows bill to curb student hunger

The Maine Senate voted unanimously on Thursday for a bill introduced by Sen. Shenna Bellows, D-Manchester, to modernize the application process for free meals for Maine students and expand “breakfast after the bell” programs.

A recent study shows that one in five Maine kids is food insecure. Additionally, it is estimated that at 100 percent participation in the U.S. Department of Agriculture child nutrition programs, Maine schools could receive an additional $56 million dollars to feed food insecure kids.

“Hunger harms children’s physical and emotional wellbeing. If kids aren’t fed, they can’t learn,” said Sen. Bellows. “Streamlining the application process for school lunch and expanding breakfast after the bell programs will help ensure that every child is fed, and every child can learn.”

LD 701 “An Act to Modernize the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program,” requires the Department of Education to develop, and make available, an online application that schools may use for all eligible students for free meals under the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast.

Additionally, as amended, the bill provides funding for certain school districts to operate “breakfast after the bell” programs. School districts will qualify for the funding if at least 50 percent of their students qualified for free meals in the prior school year.

“Breakfast after the bell” programs have been shown to increase meal participation by students, increasing the number of students who are fed and ready to learn.

The first part of the bill builds upon a 2017 law from Sen. Bellows, LD 1113, which required the Department of Education to make available information about online applications for school lunch and school breakfast programs. LD 701 streamlines this process by having the Department develop one online system, rather than having up to 174 different online programs from districts across the state to do the same thing.

LD 701 aims to increase the number of parents who fully complete the forms necessary for students to qualify for free meals. Parents, particularly those who grew up with the internet, are increasingly comfortable doing things online. Online forms also reduce the worry of children losing forms or returning them to the wrong place. They also increase privacy for parents who worry about the wrong people seeing their detailed financial information included on these forms.

Additionally, if school districts develop individual online applications, there is no guarantee that information can be easily transferred to another district – a complication that would be eliminated with one unified system.

Paper applications still would be made available for families who want or need that option.

LD 701 now goes to Gov. Janet Mills, who has 10 days to sign it into law, veto it, or allow it to become law without her signature.