BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A month after roughly 70 to 100 people packed the Bethlehem Area School District board to demand free lunch for every student, the campaign returned in a quieter form Monday night — six speakers in public comment, a check from The GIANT Company tied to student food programs, and organizers and board members alike pointing to last week’s finance committee meeting as the moment the conversation shifted.
Monday’s regular meeting did not include a vote on the federal Community Eligibility Provision, the program advocates have spent months pushing the district to adopt. CEP allows qualifying districts to provide breakfast and lunch to every student at no cost.
The April 20 finance committee meeting outlined three possible paths: enrolling the nine schools whose share of identified low-income students is high enough to qualify for 100 percent federal reimbursement; a Title I-only rollout covering 12 schools; or a smaller pilot of one or more eligible schools…