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Resident urges board to protect school meals as SNAP, Medicaid cuts loom
Summary
A community member told the school board the DMV region has high food insecurity and urged officials to defend direct certification and the Community Eligibility Provision amid proposed SNAP and Medicaid cuts; she thanked the division for summer meal programs and Virginia SunBucks.
At the Prince William County School Board meeting on May 21, resident Jessica Shar urged the board to act to protect access to school meals if federal SNAP and Medicaid cuts proceed.
Shar told the board the most recent DMV-region report shows Prince William County has among the highest household food insecurity rates in the area and said direct certification numbers — which feed the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) that allows schools to serve free meals to all students when at least 25% of students are directly certified — are at risk if eligibility programs are cut.
She said current direct-certification eligibility is locked through 2028 but that congressional changes now could reduce future qualifications and urged families and community members to contact federal representatives to oppose cuts to SNAP and Medicaid and to protect the 25% CEP threshold.
Shar thanked the division for promoting Virginia SunBucks — a one-time payment ($120 per eligible child) to help with summer groceries — and for operating the Summer Food Service Program at 35 elementary, five middle and two high schools, open free to all children 18 and younger. She also asked PWCS to publicly reaffirm that meal sites are safe spaces for all families and to keep policies that build trust and access.
Speakers at the meeting did not take formal action on the federal issues but staff and board members were advised of constituent concern and the upcoming policy dependencies if federal rules change.
