The CARE for Kids Act of 2025 expands eligibility for free school meals under the National School Lunch Act by adding new categories of children who automatically qualify. It includes children in kinship care with legal documentation (e.g., grandparent caregivers with custody or consent affidavits), children receiving adoption or kinship guardianship payments, and children living in low-income housing with older caregivers or under Native American housing programs. The bill also requires schools to honor meal eligibility when a child transfers between districts, extending coverage by one year if the child began living with a qualifying caregiver within the prior 12 months. These changes directly affect school districts, caregivers, and children in specific vulnerable situations who previously faced barriers to meal assistance.
The Focus on Learning Act requires the Surgeon General to study how personal mobile devices affect student learning, mental health, and school climate in elementary and secondary schools. It establishes a pilot program offering $5 million over five years to school districts that implement "device-free" environments - requiring secure storage for students' personal phones during school hours - while allowing exceptions for health needs, students with disabilities, or language translation. Schools in the pilot must obtain parental input, maintain staff communication systems, and detail their device policies before participating. The study and pilot aim to test whether reducing personal device use during school improves academic outcomes and school environment, with results to be reported to Congress.
This bill cancels all existing school meal debt owed by households for the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program as of its enactment date. Within 180 days, the Secretary of Agriculture must eliminate this debt using Commodity Credit Corporation funds, paying local schools directly and confirming cancellation to affected households. It applies to households with outstanding balances under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act's breakfast program. The bill also updates funding rules to allow Commodity Credit Corporation funds for other nutrition programs like the Emergency Food Assistance Program.
HR 5731, the School Food Modernization Act, provides funding to help schools upgrade facilities and equipment for healthier meal programs. It authorizes $300 million in loan guarantees (covering up to 80% of costs) and $35 million annually for grants to support kitchen renovations, equipment purchases, and food safety improvements for local schools and tribal organizations. The bill also allocates $10 million yearly to fund training programs for school food service staff, developed by third-party organizations, to meet nutrition standards. These provisions directly affect public school districts, tribal schools, and their food service operations by enabling infrastructure upgrades and staff training.
The Safer Schools Act of 2025 establishes a 5-year federal pilot program providing grants to public schools for security risk assessments and physical security upgrades. Public schools that have experienced violent incidents involving multiple people are prioritized for both types of grants. Schools receiving assessment grants must first identify vulnerabilities, while improvement grants fund specific security measures like panic alarms linked to local police, with federal funds covering up to 50% of costs. The program allocates $600 million total ($100M-$300M annually), requiring schools to submit financial reports and post-implementation safety surveys, with annual congressional reports tracking outcomes.
HR 5482, the Prevent Youth Suicide Act, requires schools serving grades 6-12 that receive federal education funds to implement evidence-based suicide prevention and postvention protocols within 210 days of the law's enactment. Specifically, schools must develop staff training to identify suicide risks and connect students to mental health resources, establish referral systems, conduct anti-stigma awareness campaigns, and create postvention plans for after a suicide occurs. The bill mandates biennial staff training on trauma-informed care and requires the Secretary of Education to provide technical assistance and monitor compliance. These requirements directly affect all public and private K-12 schools participating in federal education programs under applicable law.
The RAYS Act (HR 7092) requires secondary schools to include suicide prevention contact information on student identification cards or, if cards aren't issued, on school websites and student-accessible online platforms. Schools must list the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, Crisis Text Line, and a local suicide prevention hotline. The bill also allows schools to optionally add more mental health resources and mandates federal outreach to inform students, parents, and staff about these services. It takes effect one year after enactment for physical ID cards and 60 days later for digital methods.
The EATS Act of 2025 (S 2512) expands eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to include most college students. It directly affects full-time undergraduate students enrolled at least half-time in recognized higher education institutions by removing their current exclusion from SNAP benefits. The bill revises the definition of "household" under SNAP rules and eliminates the prior requirement that students meet separate conditions to qualify. This change, effective January 2026, would allow millions of students to access food assistance without additional barriers.
The Farm to School Act of 2025 updates the federal program that connects schools with local farmers to increase access to fresh, locally sourced food. It expands funding for schools and early childhood programs to buy local produce, support farm-to-school gardens, and integrate nutrition education into curricula, while prioritizing projects serving children from disadvantaged backgrounds and incorporating traditional foods. The bill sets grant limits ($500,000 maximum per recipient, 3-year terms) and requires the USDA to fund distribution improvements like transportation and processing. It also mandates regular reviews to identify and remove barriers for small, Tribal, and socially disadvantaged farmers seeking to participate.
The Keeping All Students Safe Act prohibits the use of unlawful seclusion and restraint in schools receiving federal funding, including physical restraint that restricts breathing or blood flow, chemical restraint not prescribed for medical treatment, and mechanical restraint. The bill requires schools to use less restrictive interventions first, mandates that staff using physical restraint be trained and certified through State-approved programs, and requires immediate parent notification after any restraint incident. States must develop plans to monitor compliance, collect and report data on restraint incidents (disaggregated by race, disability status, and school type), and implement positive behavioral interventions. The bill provides $40 million annually for five years to support states in implementing these requirements and improving school climate through evidence-based approaches.
