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USDA extends universal free lunch through next school year, bringing relief to millions of food-insecure families

Facing a September cutoff, the agency announces it will reimburse schools at a higher rate and expand school nutrition programs to all students.

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April 20, 2021 at 2:26 p.m. EDT
Anne Arundel County residents receive free breakfast, lunch and dinner, at a mobile stop in Annapolis, Md., March 16, 2020. (Susan Walsh/AP)

The United States Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday it would extend universal free lunch through the 2021-2022 school year, in an effort to reach more of the estimated 12 million youths experiencing food insecurity.

In March, the USDA said these waivers, which made school meals more flexible to administer, would be extended only to Sept. 30, leaving schools and families uncertain about what next school year might look like.