A proposed change to a federal food assistance program could affect a majority of students in the Syracuse City School District by narrowing down the eligibility for receiving free school lunches.  

The proposal, introduced by President Donald Trump’s administration, calls for lowering the gross income eligible to qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. SNAP provides low-income individuals and families with monthly payments to fund their food purchases. 

More than 80% of students in the Syracuse City School District qualify for free lunch, said Rachel Murphy, SCSD’s director of food and nutrition. Nearly 13,000, or 64%, of SCSD students qualify for free lunch through SNAP.

The Trump administration’s proposal would disqualify millions of people from the SNAP program. It could also keep 500,000 children from receiving free school lunches nationwide, The New York Times reported. 

SCSD does not yet know exactly how many students will lose free lunch eligibility if the proposal passes, but Murphy expects it will be “a staggering number.” The district does not have any plans in place to help students who may have to transition out of the free lunch program. 

“It would be almost impossible to do so without the federal government giving us benefit,” Murphy said.

SCSD currently qualifies for the Community Eligibility Provision, a meal service option ran by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Under the provision, schools with over 60% of enrolled students qualifying for free lunch can offer lunch to all enrolled students at no cost, Murphy said.

If too many students fail to qualify for SNAP, the district may no longer qualify for the Community Eligibility Provision.

In June 2019, nearly 1.5 million households in New York state participated in SNAP, according to data from the USDA. Food stamps, provided through the SNAP program, can be used for items like meat, poultry, dairy products, bread and non-alcoholic beverages.

A reduction in SNAP eligibility can be especially harmful in areas with widespread poverty, like Syracuse, said Evan Weissman, an assistant professor of food studies at the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics. Tighter budgets among Syracuse residents could have negative effects nationwide, he said. 

“There’s going to be a trickle-down impact as people have fewer dollars to spend elsewhere,” Weissman said. “As they’re reallocating their dollars, it’s going to be harder for people to make basic ends meet, and it’s going to overall have a negative impact on the economy throughout the United States.”  

In New York state, more than 87,000 people could lose SNAP eligibility under the new proposal, said Becky Lare, director of government relations at the Food Bank of Central New York. The Food Bank opposes the policy. Lare expects that individuals losing their SNAP benefits under the proposed law will rely more heavily on their local food banks, she said. 

“Kicking people off SNAP doesn’t mean they’re no longer hungry,” Lare said. “It’s entirely possible that SNAP was just enough to keep them from having to go to their local food pantry.”

Published on October 6, 2019 at 10:00 pm

Contact Sarah: smidani@syr.edu