TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida education officials and advocates say about 200,000 students could become ineligible for automatic free school lunches under a Trump administration proposal expected to reduce the number of food stamps enrollees.
News outlets reported the figures this week and say a finalized rule could come as soon as the end of the month.
Children automatically qualify for free lunches if their families receive food stamps, but in July the Trump administration proposed tightening eligibility for what was formerly called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The U.S. Agriculture Department released an analysis in October showing nearly 1 million students nationwide could be affected.
News outlets say impacted Florida households would still be eligible for free- and reduced-price meals if they individually file an application for the National School Lunch Program.
