Index
Public Health & SafetyColorado, USA

Colorado Free School Meals for All

Summary

Voted in by taxpayers in 2022, this law guarantees free breakfast and lunch to every single public school student in Colorado, regardless of their family's income.

Rights & Rules

  • 01.
    If your child attends a participating public school, they have the right to receive one free breakfast and one free lunch every school day.
  • 02.
    Parents no longer have to fill out complex income-verification forms to prove they are 'poor enough' to qualify for food assistance.
  • 03.
    Schools are banned from 'lunch shaming' (e.g., giving a child a cold cheese sandwich because their parents owe lunch debt).
  • 04.
    The program is funded by reducing income tax deductions for Colorado residents who make over $300,000 a year.

Penalties

  • 01.
    School districts are strictly prohibited from collecting debt from students for standard school meals, ending the practice of withholding transcripts or graduation tickets for lunch debt.

Verified Citations

Colorado Proposition FF (2022)

Source
"The Healthy School Meals for All Program is created to provide free meals in public schools for all students... funded by limiting state income tax deductions for individuals with adjusted gross income of $300,000 or more."