Did North Dakota Republicans block low-income students’ access to free meals at school?

Low-income students do have access to free meals at schools in North Dakota. 

A recent vote by the North Dakota Legislature concerned a proposal to make breakfast and lunch free for all students regardless of household income. That proposal was rejected. However, the vote did not change the programs that provide free meals to students from low-income households. 

Students in North Dakota can receive free or reduced-price meals through the federally funded National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. Eligibility is based on household income and participation in programs such as SNAP or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and some schools qualify for the Community Eligibility Provision, which allows them to serve free meals to all students without collecting individual applications.

Because those programs remain in place, low-income students in North Dakota still qualify for free school meals even though lawmakers declined to adopt a universal free-meals policy.