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, Hochul said in a news release.

“The research is clear: good food in the lunchroom creates good grades in the classroom,” the governor said. “I’m proposing free school meals for every student in New York – giving kids the sustenance they need and putting more money back in parents’ pockets.”

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.

At least eight states have their own universal school meals programs.

The governor is scheduled to further detail the program at a news conference Friday. She has been announcing a series of economic proposals geared toward addressing the state’s high cost of living as she lays out her agenda for the state’s legislative session.