Group delivers "No-Cost School Meal" petitions to Secretary of State

“Every student should have access to breakfast and lunch at school, no questions asked.”
Robin Nelson is a long-standing member of the Fargo School Board and has recently taken the position of Chair for the group – Together for School Meals. Nelson and the volunteer organization have been busy circulating a petition to put wording into the State Constitution saying North Dakota will provide free breakfast and lunch to all students. The group delivered those petitions to the Secretary of State’s office Thursday afternoon….
“We’ll now wait certification from the Secretary of State and we’re hopeful North Dakotans will have the opportunity to vote on this, this November. Because this is exactly the kind of decision that belongs to the people.”
Nelson says a free school meal program has been something she has been focused on the past four-years. Over that time Nelson saw lawmakers reject back-to-back proposals brought before them, including a proposal during the recent special session. But she says all the time lawmakers spent discussing the issue may work in favor of the measure…
“They kind of laid this out and have a game plan so if indeed this passes I think a lot of their leg work has already been completed.”
The Secretary of State’s office has 35-days to review the signatures. The group needs 31,164 valid signatures to be placed on the ballot. Nelson says they submitted more than the needed number.
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To learn more about the measure visit the “Together for School Meals” website or Facebook page.