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When School Meals Are No Longer Free: A Qualitative Exploration of Elementary School Teachers' Experiences and
Deborah A Olarte1, Katie Cueva2, Ashley Kesack3
1Department of Nutrition and Food Studies, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, New York University, New York, NY.
Objective:
To explore teachers' perceptions of student hunger and behavior, school meal participation, food waste, family stress, supervision, and meal locations during a federal universal free school meals (UFSM) policy, comparing the 2021-2022 school year to the 2022-2023 school year.
Methods:
Twenty-five kindergarten through sixth-grade teachers participated in online interviews in 6 elementary schools in Anchorage, Alaska. Transcripts were analyzed using immersion/crystallization. Researchers coded data (k = 0.82) and identified recurring themes and domains.
Results:
During UFSM, teachers perceived reduced hunger and family stress but increased food waste. Classroom eating fostered community and improved behavior, despite clean-up challenges and lost planning time. Following UFSM deimplementation, teachers perceived declined participation, increased hunger, and anxiety about meal costs.
Conclusions And Implications:
Teachers view UFSM as essential for student health and equity. Findings support sustained UFSM policies and integrating teacher perspectives into meal program design.
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