Last school year, 269,086 students qualified for free meals at school, according to Connecticut’s Department of Education. An additional 12,729 were eligible for a reduced meal but received free meals due to a funding supplement from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

“Over the pandemic, the state used American Rescue Plan Act to provide free breakfast and lunch to all children,” said United Way Connecticut Director of Advocacy Daniel Fitzmaurice.

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“The ARPA funding, we were able to carry over to universal free breakfast for a while,” said Rep. Moira Rader, who is working on legislation to bring back universal meals in school in Connecticut.

“That money, we were told, is gone,” she said.

This school year marks th

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