More Hawaiʻi schools qualify for free meal programs but the state may not participate

Nicole Woo, director of research and economic policy at the Hawaiʻi Children’s Action Network, said hungry students can’t learn. Even if families qualify for reduced-price lunch, they may still struggle to cover the remaining costs of school meals and could benefit from the CEP expansion, she added.

“The benefits are clear,” Woo said. “We certainly hope the Department of Education and charter schools will take advantage of this new rule to get free meals to more kids.”

But, Woo acknowledged, making this change might be easier said than done.

Currently, 106 schools in Hawaiʻi offer free meals to all students under CEP.

Even with CEP’s expanded eligibility, Hawaiʻi families may not see free lunch offered at their schools right away, said Daniela Spoto, director of anti-hunger initiatives at Hawaiʻi Appleseed.

According to the FRAC database, 17 eligible Hawaiʻi schools chose not to adopt CEP in the 2022-23 school year.

The Department of Education is still analyzing how recent changes to the CEP rule will impact Hawaiʻi schools, said deputy superintendent Tammi Oyadomari-Chun.

One question the department faces is whether all Hawaiʻi schools can now qualify for CEP. The federal government allows entire districts to participate in CEP, as long as their schools have an average of 25 percent or more of low-income students.