REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO PROVIDE FREE SCHOOL MEALS TO EVERY STUDENT ENROLLED IN A DEPARTMENT SCHOOL, REGARDLESS OF A STUDENT'S ELIGIBILITY FOR PARTICIPATION IN A FEDERAL SCHOOL MEALS PROGRAM, BEGINNING WITH THE 2029-2030 SCHOOL YEAR.

SR65

THE SENATE

S.R. NO.

65

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

Requesting the Department of Education to provide free
school meals to every student enrolled in a department school, regardless of a
student's eligibility for participation in a federal school meals program,
beginning with the 2029-2030 school year
.

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WHEREAS, the
State's working families face significant economic challenges, including the
rising cost of living, inflation, and limited affordable options for basic
needs; and

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WHEREAS, access
to nutritious meals is essential for the overall well-being of the State's
people and particularly critical to academic success for students; and

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WHEREAS, for
some students, however, school meals may be their only consistent source of
food; and

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WHEREAS, research
shows students experiencing food insecurity face a higher risk of stress,
depression, and chronic disease; and

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WHEREAS,
studies have also found that free school meal programs lead to improved student
performance; and

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WHEREAS, when
universal free school meal programs have been implemented elsewhere, student
test scores rose at a rate equivalent to six additional weeks of school, making
the program one of the most cost effective and sustainable academic
interventions available to the State; and

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WHEREAS, Act
139, Session Laws of Hawaii 2025, expanded free school meal coverage to
students who qualify for reduced‑price lunch beginning with the 2025-2026
school year and will expand coverage to students whose family income is not
more than three hundred percent of the federal poverty level beginning with the
2026-2027 school year; and

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WHEREAS, despite
these gains, however, thousands of students across the islands of the State are
still going hungry because of a lack of resources to ensure consistent food
security for themselves and their families; now, therefore,

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BE IT
RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii,
Regular Session of 2026, that the Department of Education is requested to provide
free school meals to every student enrolled in a department school, regardless
of a student's eligibility for participation in a federal school meals program,
beginning with the 2029-2030 school year; and

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BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the
Chairperson of the Board of Education and Superintendent of Education.

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:
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DOE;
Public Education; School Meals; Free