As the ongoing federal government shutdown threatens families’ access to November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program support, it appears free school meals for qualifying Metro East students will remain safe.
Leaders at Belleville Township High School District 201, East St. Louis School District 189 and Belleville School District 118 say they have not received any indication that the federal reimbursements they receive for providing free or reduced price meals are in jeopardy.
“We don’t anticipate that meal service at schools will be interrupted during the government shutdown,” said Alexis Bylander, director of Food Research Action Center, a national nonprofit that advocates for federal nutrition programs.
Illinois State Board of Education Press Secretary Lindsay Record said as of Tuesday, there has not been any changes to federal school meal programs. She did not answer when asked if ISBE has sent guidance to districts.
Although the Food Research and Action Center and Congressional Democrats say there are avenues to keep dispersing SNAP benefits, a pop-up that appeared on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s website over the weekend said there will not be benefits issued Nov. 1.
“Bottom line, the well has run dry,” part of the message, which blames Senate Democrats for the shutdown stalemate, says.
Bylander said the reason SNAP stands to be impacted in the near future while free and reduced price school meals are not is because, even though they are all federal nutrition programs through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, they are structured and funded differently.
Through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, the federal government reimburses schools at set rates for every meal served that meets nutrition requirements. Schools receive higher reimbursements for providing free and reduced-price meals to students who qualify based on income or participation in federal assistance programs, such as SNAP.
Record provided an Oct. 1 letter that ISBE and other states received from the USDA indicating the 2025 Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act will fund the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs “at least through October.”
Bylander said the USDA confirmed that unspent funding from the 2025 previous fiscal year, along with Section 32 funds, is available for school meal programs from October through December. According to an opinion piece authored by leadership at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities — which is often described as a liberal research institute — Section 32 is an USDA account that contains carryover from the prior year’s custom duties.
National Public Radio reported Tuesday that USDA said transfers from those accounts to cover SNAP could threaten school meals.
Many of metro-east school district websites show they provide free or reduced-price lunch. According to ISBE data, roughly 88% of Belleville 118 students and approximately 56% of Belleville 201 students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. In East St. Louis and Cahokia’s school districts, 100% qualify, the data shows.
Some districts, including Belleville 118, Cahokia 187, and East St. Louis 189, participate in the National School Lunch Program’s Community Eligibility Provision. This provision allows schools where at least 25% of students participate in a federal benefit program—such as SNAP, TANF or Medicaid—to serve free meals to all students. Reimbursements under this provision follow a different formula than those for districts not participating in the program.
“For many students, school meals are a lifeline — their main source of nourishment and a steady reminder that their school community is here to support them,” East St. Louis School District 189 Superintendent Arthur Culver said.
District 189 spokesperson Sydney Stigge-Kaufman said social workers have recently heard from more families concerned about the possible loss of SNAP benefits. If feeding children at home becomes more challenging, families may rely even more on schools. Stigge-Kaufman said schools may see more students who previously brought meals from home opting for free school meals, as well as increased visits to food pantries at district sites.
“As food security at home for children is likely to decrease if SNAP and WIC can’t be figured out, then school meals are going to be even more important to children from low-income households,” Bylander said.
Furloughs at the USDA could cause disruptions in school meal reimbursements, such as delays in getting questions answered, according to the Food Research and Action Center’s website. Dustin Bilbruck, assistant superintendent of finance and operations for Belleville Township High School District 201, said the district has not received any indication that staffing shortages will delay monthly meal reimbursements.
Bylander said as questions persist about children’s nutrition programs during the shutdown, her organization is urging the federal government to communicate more clearly.
“We’re calling on USDA to provide some assurances to schools and to Child Nutrition state agencies that the programs are going to continue to operate without interruption, because I think there is fear and angst circling around and people would like the reassurance to know that they’re going to be able to rely on school meals for their children,” Bylander said.
Editor's note: This story was originally published by the Belleville News-Democrat. Madison Lammert is a reporter for the BND, a news partner of St. Louis Public Radio.
