Every child in Miami-Dade public schools used to be able to get lunch for free, no paperwork, no stigma, no separate line for kids whose families qualified and kids whose families didn't.

On July 22, the Miami-Dade County School Board voted to end that universal free lunch program, effective this coming school year. District officials say the change was forced by federal rules: fewer students now automatically qualify for free meals through programs like SNAP and Medicaid, after the federal government tightened eligibility and removed more than a million children from those benefits nationwide. That drop pushed Miami-Dade below the threshold that makes universal free lunch financially workable under federal reimbursement rules.

But losing federal assistance doesn't mean a family has become financially secure. Miami is one of the most expensive cities in the country, and many households who no longer qualify for aid are still stretched thin. When schools stop feeding every student the same way, lunch stops being something you do because you're a person and starts being something you get because you're poor enough to prove it.

Universal school lunch isn't just about hunger, though that matters enormously on its own. Researchers have linked it to better attendance, better health, and a school culture where every kid feels like they belong. Nine states already provide free meals to every public school student, and most large districts nationwide offer free meals to all students in at least some of their schools. Miami-Dade doesn't have to be the exception.

The Miami-Dade County School Board has the power to reverse this decision and find funding to keep every student fed without singling anyone out. Sign the petition to demand the School Board restore universal free school lunch before the new school year begins.