Minnesota’s free school lunch program has helped combat food insecurity, but over 15,000 online learners — including 1,900 students at Minnesota Virtual Academy — are excluded from this benefit. Despite being public school students, they cannot access free meals due to outdated policies requiring “congregate” meals in physical school buildings. Advocates hope Minnesota will recognize the needs of virtual students and ensure all learners, regardless of how they attend school, receive equal access to essential nutrition support.
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