Republican First District Congressman James Comer is introducing legislation to protect access to school lunches as districts throughout the country close due to outbreaks of the coronavirus.

More than six hundred schools are closed or will close as an effect of the pandemic. The bill allows school officials to distribute food in any number of settings across all nutrition programs. It also allows flexibility for school meal components depending on the availability of certain ingredients. Comer said access to nutritious meals is crucial for students missing out on lunch due to school closure. 

“In the wake of rising school closures across the country aimed at preventing further spread of the coronavirus, this bill is a critical step toward ensuring that our students maintain access to the school meals they rely on for their health and well-being,” Comer said. “I am proud to help lead this bipartisan effort to ensure that our schools and food service programs have plenty of flexibility to continue providing nutritious meals to students in need.”

The bill has bipartisan support and is co-introduced by Democratic Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici.