Pittsford to join programs offering free school meals

After 12 years of independently funding its own school meals program, the Pittsford Central School District plans to rejoin the National School Lunch Program in the coming school year. 

For now, the district plans to begin with its elementary schools and add secondary schools later.

“Breakfast and lunch will now be free every school day for elementary students,” Superintendent Michael Pero announced in an email to families and staff in July. “The District’s goal is to have secondary students enter the program in the 2026-27 school year as we will need additional time to prepare.”

Officials have also said that the Pittsford schools will join Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Universal Free Meal Plan. The plan, which was unveiled earlier this year, requires participating schools to provide free breakfasts and lunches to all students, regardless of their financial background. Hochul has described the initiative as an effort to help save families money while addressing food insecurity. 

The Universal Free Meal Plan will provide free meals to students regardless of their financial background, while the federally assisted NSLP has strict eligibility requirements for students to receive free or low-cost meals. Families who make 130 percent or less of the federal poverty level are eligible for free meals, while families who make between 130 percent and 185 percent of the federal poverty level are eligible for reduced-price meals at no greater than 40 cents per meal. Families who participate in other food assistance programs, such as SNAP, are also eligible.

During the 2023-24 school year, only 2 percent of PCSD students were eligible for free meals under the NSLP, and only 1 percent were eligible for reduced-price meals, according to the state Department of Education. Under both the NSLP and the Universal Free Meals Plan, all students in participating Pittsford schools will have access to free meals.

Pittsford schools originally departed from the NSLP in 2013, following updates in federal law that mandated participating schools to increase the nutritional standards of their food and to provide all food selections to all students, regardless of how much a student would normally choose to eat. 

At the time, PCSD determined that leaving the program would increase flexibility in food options while reducing waste and maintaining food quality and nutrition. But in the years since families in the Pittsford area have expressed discontent with the district’s meal system. 

Before PCSD decided to rejoin the program, Lori Ingalsbe, a mother whose children attend the Pittsford school system, launched a petition calling the meal options “meager and often unhealthy.” The petition noted that, contrary to the PCSD’s claims, the school district failed to provide healthier and more nutritious lunches to students. 

“Every day high school students are served vegetable portions that fall short, almost always less than the required eight ounces,” Ingalsbe said while urging PCSD to rejoin the NSLP during a school board meeting June 17. “Fruit cups are underfilled. Meals that are supposed to include meat often don’t. The quality and quantity of food simply do not meet our children’ s needs. In 2013, the issue was food waste. In 2025, our students are feeling hungry.”

Rejoining the NSLP, the petition said, would ensure students are not hungry while maintaining affordability for families. It has garnered over 400 signatures and several vocal supporters commenting publicly on the web page.

“Pittsford has had so many years to deliver on their promises of offering our kids healthier meals sourced from local produce and dairy and featuring diverse ingredients from local foods,” one commenter wrote. “But that’s not what we’re getting and it’s certainly not what we’re paying for.”

Joining the NSLP will require PCSD to adhere to the program’s nutritional requirements, which include but are not limited to maximum daily sugar and caffeine intake and minimum protein intake. These are adjusted across grade levels.

All students within participating schools will have access to free breakfasts and lunches, PCSD officials say. Families will be encouraged to submit applications to help the schools accurately track participation rates, but students without applications will still be able to receive free meals. 

Natalie Opdahl is a member of the Oasis Project’s second cohort.

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