Dear Families,
For the last few years, many of our nonpublic schools have participated in the universal school meals program and have been able to provide free school meals to all students. In the House Ways and Means budget, the House permanently funded school meals for public school students in the Commonwealth. However, the language does not clearly extend this benefit to students in nonpublic schools. The Senate has also unfortunately not included funding for this program in their budget.
The Conference Committee is now meeting to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate versions of the budget. We need to encourage the Conference Committee to include funding for the universal school meals program and to extend that benefit to all students regardless of whether they attend a public or private school.
Please see the action alert below to email the Conference Committe about this important issue. Please forward this action alert to your friends and family members in Massachusetts. The more messages our legislators receive, the more responsive they will be to this request.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Ariella Hellman
Agudath Israel of America, New England Office