7/13/04 -- Both the House and Senate have passed a bill to reauthorize the National School Lunch Act, and President Bush signed it into law June 30.
The legislation, which is part of the $16 billion Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 (S.2507), reflects NSBA's position on audits. It maintains the requirement calling for school districts to audit 3 percent of children's applications for free and reduced-price lunches to verify their families' financial eligibility.
NSBA had opposed legislative proposals that would have greatly expanded the number of audits.
However, the bill strengthens the household income verification process by requiring targeted audits of free and reduced-price lunch recipients in order to ensure their financial eligibility, rather than using random samples for audits.
"This is likely to increase the portion of audits conducted in larger school systems with more than 20,000 children approved for free or reduced-price meals," says Deborah Rigsby, NSBA's director of federal legislation.
The bill also would maintain direct certification provisions for students from households participating in supplemental food programs. It authorizes approximately $9 million for conducting both the eligibility and direct verification processes.
The bill allows parents to submit a single application for multiple children. And it reduces paperwork by allowing school lunch certifications to be valid for one full year. This prevents situations in which schools are forced to repeatedly certify children within a single school year.
To help address childhood obesity, S.2507 encourages local school districts to develop "local wellness policies" that include goals for nutrition and physical activities. It includes language stipulating that it "would not permit the federal government to dictate to school districts the content" of such policies.
The legislation does not include any provisions that would affect the authority of local school districts to make decisions about "competitive foods." This refers to food made available at school other than through the school meal programs, such as food sold in vending machines or at school events.
NSBA had urged Congress to retain local autonomy over decisions on vending machines and other competitive foods.
Some lawmakers had argued for federal control over the nutritional content of food available in schools. But Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), chair of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, says the bill strikes the appropriate balance between addressing the childhood obesity crisis and preserving local control.
The bill also authorizes a demonstration program in five states to extend eligibility for free school lunches to children who currently are only eligible for reduced-price lunches.
In addition, it expands a program to provide fresh fruit and vegetables to schoolchildren -- from four to eight states and from one Indian reservation to three.
The federal school lunch program serves about 27 million children every day. Nearly 60 percent of children get free meals or pay a reduced price.