Governor Larry Rhoden has signed a bill that will make reduced-priced lunches free for students who qualify for the program. “Keeping our kids and grandkids strong and healthy is important, and this bill helps provide food for those who need it most,” Rhoden said in an emailed statement to KeloLand News. According to Gracie Terrall on KeloLand news, “reduced meals are 30 cents for breakfast and 40 cents for lunch, with the federal government subsidizing the rest.” The yearly cost of this new bill will be around $592,000 a year, which is enough to help out 10,000 families across the state, removing one less expense from their monthly fees.
Nine out of fifty of the states in America have state-wide programs specifically for universally free lunch for students who may not be able to afford it. This is an immense problem because food insecurity is the leading cause of severe academic and behavioral problems. As stated by Feed the Children, “Good nutrition is critical for brain development and learning from infancy onwards. When kids go to school, not having enough food or not eating enough nutritious foods puts children at a disadvantage.” With this new bill granted to South Dakota, it’s planned to be enforced in July 2026, which means that by the time the fall 2026 school year approaches, students and parents alike will begin to see the impacts of this bill.
With the passage of this House Bill, students in South Dakota who qualify for the reduced lunch program are now able to receive it for no cost. Various organizations and supporters of this program firmly emphasize that someone’s accessibility to food should never be something that students cannot have simply because their family’s financial situation isn’t enough to provide for it. As the bill begins to take effect, many hope that this will be an opportunity for students to stay focused, energized, and prepared to learn for the remainder of their school day.
