During the COVID-19 pandemic school lunches were free to give families a financial break, the free lunches went away, and now they are coming back!

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According to our friends at KHQA, free school lunches are once again going to be a reality for students in the Land of Lincoln. On their site they say...

"House Bill 2471 creates the Healthy School Meals for All program to provide state funding to Illinois schools to enable them to offer quality, free school meals to all children who need and want one, no matter their family’s income...It is estimated to cost around $115 million in the first year, and up to $194 million in future years, depending on how many schools and students opt-in. If signed into law and fully funded, families may not need to worry about paying for student meals this next school year."

To learn more click here!

Now it needs to be noted that this hasn't OFFICIALLY been signed into law, but it will be on the Governor's desk to sign, and we know the governor has shown support for this bill.

I think having a program like this for parents to opt into is the way to go, I know, I know, I know "I don't have kids in school, why are my tax dollars going to this?!?" that is a fair argument. My counter would be this gives all students a fair chance, it helps put money back in parents' wallets that they can spend in their local economies, and if you are a parent thinking about moving to Illinois this could help give Illinois the edge to attract families. I think spending tax money on kids in our state to eat is a fair use of the money, do you agree?

See How School Cafeteria Meals Have Changed Over the Past 100 Years

Using government and news reports, Stacker has traced the history of cafeteria meals from their inception to the present day, with data from news and government reports. Read on to see how various legal acts, food trends, and budget cuts have changed what kids are getting on their trays.

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