A lunch tray is shown on the desk of dietitian Christina Saheb at the Clark County School District Food Service facility Monday, Jan. 25, 2016.
Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021 | 12:11 p.m.
The Clark County School District will offer free lunches to all students through 2025, the district announced today.
“Access to nutritious meals is vital to student success in the classroom,” Superintendent Jesus Jara said in a statement. “Providing free meals to all students districtwide is another step toward ensuring equity so that students can focus on learning and not where their next meal will come from.”
The federal government announced free lunches this school year for all students because of the pandemic. Maine and California have announced plans to extend the program.But some states such as
CCSD will offer free lunches to all students by expanding a program that provides free lunches at schools in low-income neighborhoods.
In June, 75% of the district’s 320,000-plus students qualified for free or reduced-price meals under that program, officials said. Before the pandemic, about 68% of students qualified.
The School District made the announcement during National School Lunch Week, which President John F. Kennedy created in 1962 to promote the importance of a healthy school lunch.
