New York students could get free meals under a plan from Gov. Kathy Hochul

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Every student in New York could get free breakfast and lunch at school under a proposal announced Friday by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

If approved by state lawmakers, the plan would cover more than 2.7 million students in the state regardless of income, the Democratic governor said.

Students in New York can already receive free or discounted meals at school through a federal program that is dependent on a family’s income level. Hochul’s proposal would remove any income requirements, expanding free meals to about 300,000 more kids in New York, her office said.

“To be singled out and your classmates know that you are the one who has to get subsidized help for your meals, that’s a mark on you. Our kids don’t need that, right?” the governor said at a news conference.

“Life is hard enough for our kids these days, so I don’t want them to have the stigma when they get a reduced-price lunch or a free meal. And they shouldn’t have to choose from going hungry or being embarrassed among their peers and their friends,” she said.

At least eight states have their own universal school meals programs. New York City, the largest school district in the country, also offers free breakfast and lunch to students.

The leaders of the New York Legislature have supported expanding free school meals in the state. Carl Heastie, Democratic speaker of the state Assembly, has said the state should expand the program and, in a statement Friday, added that his his conference is “deeply supportive” of the proposal. State Senate leaders have also backed such proposals.

The announcement came as Hochul has been rolling out a series of economic proposals to address the state’s high cost of living during this year’s legislative session. Among the proposals are measures to expand the state’s child tax credit and send residents “Inflation Refund” checks of up to $500.