After piloting free lunch at some of its middle schools and providing free universal breakfast, the nation’s biggest school district will now offer free lunch to all of its 1.1 million students, The New York Times reports.
New York City public schools unveiled the initiative just ahead of the new school year, which began Thursday. It is not anticipated to cost the city additional money, the result of a federal program that pays for universal free lunch if there are enough students whose families are eligible for benefits.
Around 75% of New York City’s public school students already qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. Officials believe that the new program will reach an extra 200,000 students and save families around $300 annually.
Read the full story via nytimes.com.