The newly adopted New York City budget for FY 2019 includes, for the first time, a program to provide free Kosher and Halal meals for students in both public and nonpublic schools. The program follows a comprehensive advocacy campaign by the Orthodox Union’s Teach NYS, a nonpartisan organization advocating for equitable funding in New York nonpublic schools, and its coalition partners in the Muslim community.
The City will allocate $1 million in funding for a pilot program to begin expanding the City’s school lunch program to students with dietary requirements.
“Last fall when Mayor DeBlasio announced the expansion of free lunch in New York City, we called for it to include Kosher and Halal meals,” said Orthodox Union Executive Vice President Allen Fagin while addressing the crowd at the press conference on the steps of City Hall on Tuesday. “We thank Speaker Johnson and Council Member Chaim Deutsch, Chair of the Council’s Jewish Caucus, for their leadership on this incredibly important issue.”
Teach NYS, a division of the Orthodox Union’s Teach Advocacy Network, was founded in 2013 to advocate for equitable government funding in New York nonpublic schools. It has secured an additional $450 million in funding for day schools, which is used to increase security, enhance education and defray higher tuition costs. Currently, more than 40 day-schools and yeshivas receive government funding through Teach NYS.