California urges Trump administration to feed hungry students outside school hours

Molly Gibbs, The Mercury News on Nov 11, 2025

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California is asking the Trump administration for permission to use federal funding to provide meals to students outside of school hours, as families continue to reel amid the federal government’s cuts to food stamps.

On Monday, the California Department of Education urged the Trump administration to allow flexibility to the school meal program and issue federal waivers that would enable school districts to provide to-go meals to students over weekends and holidays — similar to what the federal government did during the coronavirus pandemic.

“We continue to call on the Trump administration to provide these waivers immediately,” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said Monday. “Americans are struggling and they’re suffering and they’re hungry. Politics should not play a role when we have the ability to feed and support those who are in need.”

Thurmond said he grew up in a family that relied on food stamps — now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP — and knows firsthand the impact hunger can have on a child’s ability to learn.

“President Trump, we call on you to fund and approve these waivers immediately at a time when 27% of California households with children face food insecurity,” Thurmond said.

The plea comes as the Trump administration has continued to push back against fully funding SNAP during the government shutdown. Despite a ruling by a federal judge last week ordering the Trump administration to fully fund SNAP, the administration has demanded that states “undo” full SNAP benefit payments for the month of November or face financial penalties. It also asked the Supreme Court rule to keep payments frozen.

The state education department said it wants to use existing federal funding for school meal programs to provide students with grab-and-go meals, and to provide meals for children too young to attend school.

During the pandemic, California provided more than 800 million meals to help hungry families through temporary U.S. Department of Agriculture waivers that allowed schools to provide free meals that families could pick up and consume at home outside of school hours — something that is not permitted under the federal school meals program’s typical requirements, Thurmond said.

The waivers, coupled with an extension of the school meals program into the summer, resulted in an increase in participation in summer lunch programs of 123% in July 2020 and of 101% in July 2021, compared to July 2019, according to data from national nonprofit the Food Research & Action Center.

When students returned to school and the temporary waivers expired, California became the first state in the nation to adopt a universal school meals program, which offers all students free breakfast and lunch during the school day, regardless of family income. Some schools in the state also provide dinner.

Leah Roman, a food service worker in Loomis Union School District, helps prepare and serve meals to hundreds of students every day. She said for many students in her district, school meals are the most reliable food they receive every day.

“I see firsthand what a difference a meal can make,” Roman said at a news conference held by the CDE in Sacramento on Monday. “When students come to school hungry, they struggle to focus. They cannot learn when their stomachs are hungry.”

Roman said schools and food service workers proved during the pandemic that they can safely and effectively serve students meals when families need them the most, and they’re ready to do it again.

“No child in California should go hungry because of delays in federal programs or red tape,” Roman said. “We are asking the USDA to approve this waiver so we can keep doing our jobs — feeding students and helping them learn.”