skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Saturday, April 19, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

An Alabama man who spent more than 40 years behind bars speaks out, Florida natural habitats are disappearing, and spring allergies hit hard in Connecticut.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

After another campus shooting, President Trump says people, not guns, are the issue. Alaska Sen. Murkowski says Republicans fear Trump's retaliation, and voting rights groups sound the alarm over an executive order on elections.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Money meant for schools in timber country is uncertain as Congress fails to reauthorize a rural program, farmers and others will see federal dollars for energy projects unlocked, and DOGE cuts threaten plant species needed for U.S. food security.

Children’s Advocates Urge Lawmakers to Extend School Meals for All

play audio
Play

Monday, March 28, 2022   

Federal COVID relief funds that helped expand access to school meals for all kids regardless of their ability to pay are set to expire in June, and children's advocates are urging Colorado lawmakers to make that investment permanent.

Ashley Wheeland - director of public policy at Hunger Free Colorado - said in addition to reducing child hunger and food insecurity, a new bill making its way through the Legislature will give food producers across the state access to a reliable customer base, and fair prices for their goods.

"It has some funding for school districts to purchase healthy, local food from our Colorado ranchers and Colorado farmers," said Wheeland. "And make sure that we're investing back into our state as we're investing in food for children."

Some critics of Senate Bill 87 argue that free meals could create government dependency, with others concerned about costs.

Wheeland noted the projected cost would be less than one third of 1% of the state's budget. She added when kids can access healthy, nutritious food, they do better in school, and are less likely to need assistance as adults because they are better equipped to get jobs that pay a living wage.

Many Colorado school districts that made meals available to all students last year saw upwards of 20% more kids getting meals. Proponents say removing application requirements and cash registers from cafeterias gives educators more time to focus on learning.

Wheeland said the program can also put an end to lunch-line shaming that low-income kids experience.

"They feel shamed and stigmatized when they have to get in the lunch line and show a card," said Wheeland. "We've had families who testified at the committee that their child came home with a number written on their arm of what the family owed the school for school meals."

She said the program should help families struggling with Colorado's rising cost of living by ending school lunch debt.

The measure also aims to address workforce shortages by increasing pay for staff that prepare and serve meals, and offers resources to move away from pre-packaged and processed foods.

SB 87 cleared the Senate's Education Committee with bipartisan support, and is now under review by Appropriations.



Disclosure: Hunger Free Colorado contributes to our fund for reporting on Children's Issues, Hunger/Food/Nutrition, Poverty Issues, Senior Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Congressional researchers said more than 25 million American households report forgoing food and medicine to pay their energy bills. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A bipartisan group of lawmakers in Congress is joining advocates for energy assistance across the country to warn a dangerous situation is brewing for…


Environment

play sound

Teams of researchers and volunteers will fan out at dawn Friday with their smartphones and binoculars on the Florida Gulf Coast University campus for …

Environment

play sound

Environmental groups across Michigan are pushing back after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers confirmed it will fast-track Enbridge's Line 5 tunnel …


The elimination of judgeships in 11 Indiana counties followed a weighted caseload study, which found some counties have more judges than needed to manage their current dockets. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Indiana lawmakers approved a bill Tuesday to eliminate judgeships in eleven mostly rural counties as part of a statewide judicial reallocation…

play sound

For Minnesota households planning future college enrollment, there is a good chance tuition will cost more, as public campuses facing tighter budgets …

When cows eat plant cover faster than it can regrow, it erodes and degrades the soil beneath, making it more susceptible to runoff and other undesirable consequences. (Saed/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

By Seth Millstein for Sentient Climate.Broadcast version by Isobel Charle for Washington News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service C…

Environment

play sound

Communities in southern and eastern Montana were connected to passenger rail lines running from Chicago to Seattle until 1979. An effort to fund the …

Environment

play sound

By Jessica Scott-Reid for Sentient Climate.Broadcast version by Danielle Smith for Keystone State News Connection reporting for the Sentient-Public Ne…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021