Every single New York City public school student will receive $420 in food benefits
As public schools in New York City begin the academic year in person and online, every single student will receive a $420 pre-loaded debit card through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, WNYC reports. (Families who were already signed up for SNAP have received their payments; the money is now being disbursed to undocumented students and higher-income earners.) Since 2017, New York City has offered universal free school lunch, meaning the funds will be available to everyone, regardless of income. The $420 food cards present an “interesting quandary” for wealthy parents, the station reports: They can’t give the cards away (that would be fraud), but school officials are urging them to spend it to boost local grocery revenue. One educator has set up a redistribution network so parents can donate the value of their benefits.
