As Miami-Dade students head back to school Thursday, many families will be faced with the school board's decision to end universal free lunches across the district.

Why it matters: Offering free meals to students during school reduces childhood food insecurity, supports household food security, and creates a positive learning environment, research shows.

• "It takes one hungry and dysregulated child to disrupt an entire classroom," Erin Hysom, senior child nutrition policy analyst at the Food Research & Action Center, told Axios.

State of play: Last month, the Miami-Dade County School Board moved away from offering free breakfast and lunch to all students, instead adopting a school-specific model based on the number of students eligible for free or reduced meals, the Miami Herald reported.

• Free breakfast for elementary schools and K-8 centers will remain, while all meals at 121 schools in the district will also remain free.
• There will be a 30-day grace period where lunches districtwide will be free.

What they're saying: "We anticipate hearing from parents" when they're notified of the change, Florida PTA president Jude Bruno told Axios. "This is one of those moments [that show] elections have consequences."

Zoom out: The district used to offer free meals under the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which allows school districts with high-poverty schools to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students.

• Districts get reimbursed if 62.5% of students are "direct certified," meaning they're enrolled in other federal programs, such as SNAP, and are eligible to receive meals without having to apply.
• A 2022 district analysis found that 64% of public school students were direct certified. This year, that number fell to 45.1%, per the Herald.

Flashback: During the COVID-19 pandemic, CEP was extended to all public school students nationwide regardless of household economic status.

• When those federal relief dollars sunsetted post-pandemic, some districts continued offering free lunches at schools that didn't meet the criteria, while others stopped.
• A handful of states have adopted policies cementing free meals in their state policies. Florida hasn't.

Stunning stat: During the 2025-26 school year, Florida had the largest decrease in the total number of schools participating in CEP, with almost a 10% decrease, according to a Food Research & Action Center study.

• The majority of that drop (82.7%) came from three school districts: Broward, Duval and Pasco counties.

What's next: School districts across the country are starting to see the share of students participating in programs like SNAP decrease — a ripple effect from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which cut SNAP funding, said Hysom.

• As the number of students enrolled in SNAP decreases, so does a school district's ability to rely on CEP.

Share this story

It's time for the weekend and we're here to help you make your plans.

💃 Salsa & Sip at Hoy Como Ayer: Join an hour-long guided salsa class, complete with small bites and cocktails.

• Thursday, 6-8pm. Tickets: $27+ (one cocktail included).

🎭 NERD NITE is back at the Villain Theater with live entertainment, multiple presentations and trivia.

• Thursday, 7pm. Free.

📷 Holy Red: A debut solo photography exhibit from Johel Pereira that moves through historic churches across South Florida.

• Friday, Supermarket Gallery, 6:30-9:30pm.

🌊 Historic Virginia Key Beach Park cleanup: Join Frost Science MUVE and Community ResilientSea Project to help clear the beach and plant native species on Miami's coast.

• Saturday, 8-10am. Free.

🇩🇴 Little Santo Domingo Day: Head to Coral Gables Museum to honor and celebrate the Dominican culture and community with activities, a walking tour of the Many Voices, One Nation: En Nuestra Palabras exhibition and more.

• Saturday, 10am-6pm. Free.

🏃‍♀️ Sunday Sessions: Join Late Night Menu Run Crew for its long run as it collects supplies to support Colombia in the aftermath of the earthquake.

• Sunday, Shoe Gallery, 6:15am meet/6:30am run.

🪩 Heaven Is A Dyke Bar: The late-night party and fundraiser will feature drag kings, DJ sets, tarot readings and more.

• Sunday, Las Rosas, 9pm-late. Suggested donation: $10.

Tell a friend

🍽️ La Grande Boucherie, the high-end French restaurant on Miami Beach, is pausing for "a brief seasonal pause" after just a year and a half. (Miami Herald)

🩺 Florida pediatricians are rebuking President Trump's executive order calling for changes to the childhood vaccination schedule. (WLRN)

• "We don't answer to this nonsense, we don't recommend changing it," said Dr. Rana Alissa, president of the FCAAP and an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Florida.
• "We go by evidence-based science, we don't go by politics and politicians."

💰 The Miami Downtown Development Authority awarded $855,000 to fifteen businesses set to open or expand in downtown with the goal of bringing new retail, startups and mid-size offices to the city's urban core. (South Florida Business Journal)

• Flagler Street Bakery, Italian restaurant Fratelli Milano and Primos Hermanos, a new fast-casual Peruvian concept, are among the winners.

Greater shares of Americans now say that extreme heat has affected various parts of day-to-day life compared to just two years ago.

Why it matters: The findings, from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, suggest that people are increasingly aware of extreme heat's impact on their health, budgets, travel plans and more.

By the numbers: 90% of Americans now say that extreme heat has had at least a minor impact on their lives broadly, up from 83% two years ago.

• 80% now say that extreme heat has had at least a minor impact on their power bills, up from 69% in 2024.
• 68% say it's affecting their outdoor activities, up from 57%.
• 42% say it's affecting their travel or vacation plans, up from 26%.

Between the lines: Researchers have found that climate change is making extreme heat events more frequent and more intense.

• Yet the share of Americans who say that climate change is happening is dropping: 66% said so in this latest survey, down from 73% last year.

How it works: The poll of 1,165 adults was conducted July 23-27, 2026, with a margin of error of +-3.7 percentage points.

Share this story