Smerconish: We Must Preserve the Food Security Safety Net in Our Schools

School meal programs have prevented children from hunger and malnutrition for decades. Available in almost every public and private school in the country, school meals operate under federal nutrition guidelines and a federal per meal reimbursement rate based on family income. They are so common across the United States that when the pandemic hit, the first place community members looked for help was their local school cafeteria. At first, it was total chaos. Nothing like this had ever happened before and no one knew how quickly families would experience food insecurity and seek assistance through the school nutrition programs…