Wisconsin's Waukesha School District opted out of the federal free-meal program.
A school-board member said families could "become spoiled" with free meals.
A federally funded US Department of Agriculture program that was launched in April gives free meals to all K-12 students, regardless of income.
But students who are in the Waukesha School District won't get to participate in that program, as it is the only district in Wisconsin to opt out of it.
Instead of allowing any student to qualify for free school meals, Waukesha voted to return to the National School Lunch Program, which requires families to fill out an application to qualify for free or reduced-price school meals.
According to data from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, 4,249 students in Waukesha qualified for free and reduced-price meals in 2018-19 — 36% of the student body.
The department said the district could choose to opt back into the program at any time, and some families hope it will. »
