School MEALS Act of 2025

The School MEALS Act of 2025 aims to improve automatic enrollment in free school meals for low-income students by expanding "direct certification" - a process where schools enroll eligible children without requiring separate applications. It provides $28 million in grants to states and tribal organizations to upgrade technology, train staff, and coordinate with other benefit programs (like SNAP), with priority for areas with low current enrollment rates. The bill also raises the target direct certification rate from 10% to 20% for some schools and extends data collection deadlines for community eligibility programs. These changes directly affect students from low-income households, schools, and state/local education agencies managing meal programs.