Implementation of Universal School Meals during COVID-19 and beyond: Challenges and Benefits for School Meals Programs in Maine

Abstract

School meals play a major role in supporting children’s diets and food security, and policies for universal school meals (USM) have the potential to contribute to positive child health outcomes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, schools provided free school meals to all students in the United States, but this national USM policy ended in school year (SY) 2022–2023; however, a few states have adopted policies to continue USM statewide for SY 2022–2023. Research examining the challenges and strategies for successful continuation of USM is essential, along with studying pandemic-related challenges that are likely to persist in schools. Therefore, we conducted a study in Maine (with a USM policy) to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 and the concurrent implementation of USM, as well as examine differences in implementation by school characteristics, throughout the state. A total of n = 43 school food authorities (SFAs) throughout Maine completed surveys. SFAs reported multiple benefits of USM including increased school meal participation; reductions in the perceived stigma for students from lower-income households and their families; and no longer experiencing unpaid meal charges and debt. SFAs also experienced challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly regarding costs. When considering future challenges, most respondents were concerned with obtaining income information from families, product and ingredient availability, and the costs/financial sustainability of the school meal programs. Overall, USM may have multiple important benefits for students and schools, and other states should consider implementation of a USM policy.

Parent perceptions of school meals and how perceptions differ by race and ethnicity

“…Importantly, this study was conducted during pandemic-related supply chain disruptions and school food service staffing challenges, which likely impacted menu variety and quality. 3 , 14 , 48 Similar to our results, studies that evaluated parent perceptions of grab-and-go school meals during the pandemic found that some parents perceived the meals as unhealthy, unappealing, and repetitive. 49-51 Future studies should evaluate post–COVID-19 parental perceptions of school meals to better understand the extent to which pandemic circumstances impacted UFSM programs and to assess the impact of the state investments on school meal quality.…”

Parent Perceptions and Opinions of Universal Free School Meals in Arizona

“…The results from descriptive analysis of closed-ended questions, which showed that the vast majority of parents supported HSM4A legislation, align with findings from a survey conducted by the Urban Institute in December of 2021 and with a study examining opinions of parents of school aged children in Massechusetts. In the Urban Institute’s nationally representative sample of adults ages 18–64, 70% expressed support for permanent free school meals for all [ 18 ], whereas in Massachusetts, 84% of parents of school aged children reported support for HSM4A in their state [ 19 ]. While the support for school meals reported by the Urban Institute is high, it is lower than the results presented in the current study and those reported in Massachusetts.…”

“…While many emergent themes from qualitative analyses highlighted perceived benefits of HSM4A in the viewpoint of parents, other themes highlighted concerns related to program implementation; specifically, concerns about increased food waste, food packaging, and longer lunch lines. It is possible that some food quality and packaging concerns identified by parents could be related to supply chain disruptions experienced since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic [ 14 , 29 ]. Concerns about food quality are in line with other studies, as many parents hold somewhat negative perceptions of the general food quality and variety of school meals, with many expressing a desire for more freshly cooked meals [ 30 , 31 ].…”

“…The survey questions were adapted from previously developed survey tools that were reviewed by experts in nutrition, public health, and by local advocates working on school food environment issues. These questions were used to collect similar data in other states [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. Respondents were first asked multiple close-ended questions about their views on school meals, their level of agreement with statements on a variety of topics related to school meals (e.g., school meal healthfulness and whether school meals reduce family stresses), their level of support for the federal policy that allowed schools nationwide to offer free meals to students during the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether they would support a potential future extension of such policy in the state of Arizona.…”

COVID-19 now and then: Reflections on mobile communication and the pandemic

“…As the demands to use Zoom and other mediated forms of communication rose, there was an unveiling of the differences in the equity of mobile communication infrastructure. Yet, as a response, in these areas of connective precarity some schools boosted their WiFi signals so more families could connect ( Siegler, 2020 ) or school buses equipped with mobile WiFi traveled into neighborhoods so families could connect to the internet for the purposes of online classes ( Blad, 2020 ; Chambers, 2020 ). As a result, not only did we see an appropriation of mobile media, but we also saw people actively configuring and reconfiguring a network of mobilities and mobile communication to redistribute community resources.…”