Schools

Nice News -  An additional 40,000 Utah elementary school students will soon qualify for free school meals, thanks to a bill approved by Gov. Spencer Cox last Tuesday. Currently, students whose family income is at or below 130% of the federal poverty level — about $40,560 for a family of four — are eligible. But when the bill, HB100, goes into effect July 1, the threshold for receiving free meals will change to 185% of the poverty level, or $57,720.
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Per Utah-based nonprofit The Policy Project, HB100 will allot $2.5 million from the state’s education budget toward the newly free meals, although the organization is also raising private funds in case more are needed, a spokesperson told The Salt Lake Tribune. The law also states that local education agencies will be prohibited from “stigmatizing students who cannot afford meals,” i.e. singling out children who are receiving the free food.