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3/25/2026
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Sen. Acosta, Rep. Sanchez sponsor bill to provide free school meals
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STATE HOUSE — Sen. Jonathon Acosta and Rep. Enrique George Sanchez are sponsoring legislation to provide free meals to all students in public schools.
“As our state makes improving educational outcomes a top priority for the rest of the decade, it’s also time for us to give our students the most important thing they need for educational success — a school day free from hunger,” said Senator Acosta (D-Dist. 16, Central Falls, Pawtucket). “The evidence is crystal clear that we can improve learning, improve student health and reduce social stigma, all with just two meals each school day. The status quo lets too many students fall through the cracks.”
The legislation (2026-H 8166, 2026-S 2083) would provide all public-school students access to breakfast and lunch at no cost, regardless of family income, to ensure they are fed and prepared to learn.
The bill would institute universal school meals in three phases, beginning in all public elementary schools in the 2027-2028 school year, middle schools the following year and high schools the year after that.
“We can’t begin to invest in our schools if our students are hungry,” said Representative Sanchez (D-Dist. 9, Providence). “The rising prices of housing, utilities and food mean that some families who don’t currently qualify for free school meals can’t afford them, leaving them hungry or in debt. It’s time to make sure no student attends school on an empty stomach.”
From the onset of the pandemic until the start of the 2022-2023 school year, school meals were provided to all public-school students nationwide for free through federal emergency funding and waivers.
The substantial benefits — both for students and for schools — prompted several states to enact similar bills. If lawmakers pass this bill, Rhode Island will become the tenth state, following Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, California, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico and New York, to permanently enact a free school meals program.
The bill is similar to a version sponsored by Rep. Justine Caldwell (D-Dist. 30, East Greenwich, West Greenwich) and Sen. Lammis J. Vargas (D-Dist. 28, Cranston, Providence), which Senator Acosta and Representative Sanchez also support.
This version has two key additions to the bill from Representative Caldwell and Senator Vargas.
First, not every school in Rhode Island follows the grade breakdown of elementary, middle and high school, meaning that as free meals are phased in, some schools could be required to provide free meals to some grades of students but not others. In Senator Acosta and Representative Sanchez’s bill, the state would cover the cost of the non-eligible grades in the first year of implementation for affected schools.
Second, it explicitly requires that all eligible schools participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), a U.S. Department of Agriculture program in which the federal government reimburses schools for meals they provide free to students based on the percentage of the student body that meet federal eligibility conditions.
CEP reimbursement has a modifier of 1.6, meaning that if 50% of students at a participating school are eligible, CEP will cover 80% of the meals.
This program would cover much of the cost of the expansion of free school meals with federal funds, with the state reimbursing districts for the remaining costs.
Senator Acosta and Representative Sanchez point to mandating local participation in the CEP program as one reason that implementing free meals for students statewide does not have to cost Rhode Island as much as previous estimates have suggested.
“Right now, we’re leaving federal money on the table by not fully participating in this program,” said Senator Acosta. “Along the same lines, previous projections for the cost to the state universal free school meals have assumed much higher participation rates than what we’ve actually seen in states like California, Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont when they’ve adopted free school meals. A common fear is that we’re going to be paying for rich kids to eat, or that the meals will be wasted or discarded, but the track record of these programs is that the meals end up going to the kids who need them.”
The increased reimbursement for greater participation in school meals would also help programs improve meal quality, upgrade kitchen equipment, hire staff and increase the use of fresh and locally sourced ingredients. Additionally, not having to be involved with payments or to act as “lunch debt” collectors will decrease schools’ administrative burdens.
Providing free meals to all students would help address food insecurity in Rhode Island, which has been growing under rapid inflation and rising food costs. In 2025, over one in three Rhode Island households were considered food insecure, meaning they struggled to afford adequate food. The rate is higher — as high as 58% — in communities of color.
For more information, contact:
Tristan Grau, Publicist
State House Room B20
Providence, RI 02903
401.222.4935
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