Students not part of the federal free and reduced lunch program will have to pay for school lunches again for the first time since March 2020 and districts are starting to announce what those costs will look like.

Palmerton Area School District’s board of directors approved meal prices last week that include a nickel increase over 2020 for a student breakfast and a dime increase for lunch.

Rates for 2022-23 will be $1.30 for an elementary student’s breakfast, $1.40 for a secondary student’s breakfast, $2.25 for an adult breakfast, $2.85 for an elementary student’s lunch, $2.95 for a secondary student’s lunch and $4 for an adult lunch. Milk will cost $0.55.

While Palmerton Business Manager Ryan Kish said the district wasn’t required to increase prices, the small hike was done with an eye down the road.

“Certain price increases are required by the federal government to ensure that federal funds intended for free and reduced lunches are not being used to subsidize paid lunch meals,” Kish said. “Because we have a positive balance in our account, we are allowed to be exempt from that. However, this will only compound in future years. Our recommendation was to slightly raise prices for that reason as well as anticipated increases in the cost of the food.”

Lehighton Area School District’s board of directors voted Monday to keep meal prices the same as they were in 2020. Breakfast will cost an elementary student $1, a secondary student $1.30, and an adult $1.90. Lunch will cost an elementary student $2.50, a secondary student $2.80 and an adult $4.

“With the federal government ending the meal waivers, I think it’s great that we are able to keep prices the same,” director Jeremy Glaush said. “It’s going to be a big hit for parents who are not used to paying over the last few years so this is a help.”

The Keep Kids Fed Act, unveiled in June, will provide districts with an additional temporary reimbursement of 40 cents per lunch and 15 cents per breakfast, and child care centers with an extra 10 cents reimbursement per meal.

A federal waiver allowing all Pennsylvania K-12 students automatic access to free school breakfast and lunch expired on June 30.

Parents meeting the income guidelines can submit a free or reduced lunch application in order to avoid paying full price for meals.

Earlier this month, the Pennsylvania Department of Education announced that the United States Department of Agriculture released new federal income eligibility guidelines for free and reduced-price school meals and free milk for July 2022 - June 2023.

A full list of income guidelines is available at https://bit.ly/3cgcZN2, but, for example, a family of three with an annual income of $29,939 or less would qualify for free meals, while those making between $29,940 and $42,606 would qualify for a reduced lunch rate of no more than 40 cents. For a family of four, the maximum annual income to receive the free lunch benefit is $36,075, while the reduced price benefit would be available if the family’s income was between $36,076 and $51,338.