Nevada extends universal free school meals for another year

Nevada has invested $75 million to continue offering universal free school meals for students this school year.

The state joins Massachusetts and Vermont in offering free meals for another year. States such as North Carolina and Virginia have also used state funding to extend free school meals but only for students who qualify for reduced-price lunches.  

School nutrition programs across the country have been able to provide universal free meals to all students for the past two years through a series of nutrition waivers issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Those particular waivers expired earlier this summer, leaving many school nutrition operators concerned about the financial state of their programs.