Georgia school lunch crunch: Law could reduce access to free, low-cost meals

“That is not a small amount of money to a lot of families, especially amid rising costs,” said Paige Shoemaker DeMio, a CAP senior policy analyst and co-author of the report.

Previously, children in families that qualified for federal safety net programs, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Medicaid, were automatically enrolled in the school lunch program. However, the new legislation tightens eligibility for those programs, such as expanding work requirements. As a result, fewer people have qualified for benefits.

“(The law) created more burdensome paperwork requirements, and then it also created those stricter eligibility restrictions … and that is what’s really restricting participation,” DeMio said. “We have already seen over 4 million people (in the U.S.) who have been cut from SNAP since the law took effect, and I think a little under a million of those are children.”

Schools where at least 25% of students receive free meals because of enrollment in programs like SNAP or Medicaid can qualify to provide free meals to all students at that school. DeMio said if fewer families are eligible for those programs, schools could lose that “community eligibility” status.

Some metro Atlanta school districts have renewed their community eligibility status through the 2027-28 school year. That means students at those schools should still receive free or reduced-price lunches during that time.

In Atlanta Public Schools, 80% of schools qualify for community eligibility. The district said students at the remaining schools also have options.

“Families at these schools who may lose SNAP benefits prior to (the upcoming school year) can still apply for free or reduced-price meals based on household income,” the district said in a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Each … school has a designated coordinator to support Nutrition Services by promoting the application process and assisting families with completion.”

Clayton County Public Schools has also renewed its community eligibility status through 2028. Rockdale County Public Schools said it too has renewed its community eligibility status for this school year.

Multiple studies, including one by the federal government, show students who miss meals often have poorer academic performance.

Kate Goodin, senior state campaigns manager with nonprofit No Kid Hungry, said school districts that renewed their community eligibility status could be helped in the short term, but schools could fall out of eligibility in the next few years.

“We may see a bit of a cliff happening with access to free school meals if these cuts to SNAP aren’t reversed,” she said.

The Georgia Department of Education said it hasn’t yet received guidance from the federal government regarding the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act.

“GaDOE encourages all households to apply for free and reduced-price meal benefits through their local School Nutrition Program,” the department said in a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “If students are not directly certified through SNAP, TANF, or Medicaid eligibility, families may still submit an income-based application to determine whether they qualify for free or reduced-price meals.”