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Wake County School Board Approves 25-Cent Meal Price Increase; AI Policy Draft Under Review
On Tuesday, the Wake County School Board voted to raise the cost of a full‑price lunch by 25 cents at every grade level, while the committee that drafts the district’s AI policy stayed on the agenda.
The change will lift elementary school lunches from $3.75 to $4.00 and middle‑ and high‑school lunches from $4.00 to $4.25. District staff said the hike is needed to cover rising costs, citing a more than 50 % wage increase for nutrition staff over the past six years and a near doubling of chicken sandwich prices. Senior director of child nutrition services Tiffany Lawrence noted that the cost of chicken has almost doubled.
Opposition came from several board members and school staff. Apex High School assistant principal Jeannette Hill, affiliated with School Meals for All North Carolina, spoke against the increase. She argued that school meal participation promotes student achievement, attendance, and reduces discipline incidents. “I encourage you to value the power of school meals. I understand that budgets are tight, and that employee food and delivery costs have risen, but another cost increase is going to price even more families out of school meal participation,” Hill said. Hill also suggested forming a task force to find ways to cut meal costs and offered to serve on it.
Board member Lynn Edmonds echoed Hill’s concerns. “None of us are happy or want to do this to families, and it is very concerning that we’re in this position,” Edmonds said. Another board member, Cheryl Caulfield, noted that the price hike could affect families whose incomes are just above the threshold for reduced‑price lunch. She added that a task force should also explore ways to improve meal quality.
The decision reflects the district’s broader financial pressures. Wake County Public Schools, the largest district in North Carolina, serves more than 161,000 students and operates a budget exceeding $2.23 billion. The district has faced cuts in federal funding and has had to adjust programs to maintain service levels.
In a separate agenda item, the school board’s policy committee met to review the latest draft of an AI policy. The draft, still under revision, addresses academic misuse of AI by students and outlines that such use is subject to the district’s existing bullying and plagiarism policies. It also advises that teachers should not rely on AI detection tools to catch cheating because those tools can be unreliable and may bias against English‑language learners.
Several board members called for more explicit language. Jennifer Job requested that the policy prohibit non‑consensual creation of intimate images of students using AI, noting that such activity is illegal under state law. She also asked for guidance on teachers’ use of AI in grading, insisting that AI should not replace final grade determination without review. Other members sought separate guidelines for students and staff, and for different age groups.
Sam Hershey asked that the final policy include a list of approved AI tools and products that students may use at school. Becky Lew‑Hobbs, chapter chair of Moms for Liberty in Wake County, praised the policy’s foundation but said it must be expanded to cover data retention, audit systems, and a parent opt‑out process. She added that the policy should fully protect students.
The AI policy will undergo further revisions before a final vote by the school board. Meanwhile, the district’s budget proposal, which includes the meal price increase, is expected to be approved by the Wake County Board of Commissioners in early June.
Both developments underscore Wake County’s efforts to balance fiscal realities with student welfare. The meal price hike may affect participation rates, while the AI policy reflects growing concerns about technology use in classrooms. Both issues will remain on the board’s agenda as the district prepares for the upcoming school year.
The change will lift elementary school lunches from $3.75 to $4.00 and middle‑ and high‑school lunches from $4.00 to $4.25. District staff said the hike is needed to cover rising costs, citing a more than 50 % wage increase for nutrition staff over the past six years and a near doubling of chicken sandwich prices. Senior director of child nutrition services Tiffany Lawrence noted that the cost of chicken has almost doubled.
Opposition came from several board members and school staff. Apex High School assistant principal Jeannette Hill, affiliated with School Meals for All North Carolina, spoke against the increase. She argued that school meal participation promotes student achievement, attendance, and reduces discipline incidents. “I encourage you to value the power of school meals. I understand that budgets are tight, and that employee food and delivery costs have risen, but another cost increase is going to price even more families out of school meal participation,” Hill said. Hill also suggested forming a task force to find ways to cut meal costs and offered to serve on it.
Board member Lynn Edmonds echoed Hill’s concerns. “None of us are happy or want to do this to families, and it is very concerning that we’re in this position,” Edmonds said. Another board member, Cheryl Caulfield, noted that the price hike could affect families whose incomes are just above the threshold for reduced‑price lunch. She added that a task force should also explore ways to improve meal quality.
The decision reflects the district’s broader financial pressures. Wake County Public Schools, the largest district in North Carolina, serves more than 161,000 students and operates a budget exceeding $2.23 billion. The district has faced cuts in federal funding and has had to adjust programs to maintain service levels.
In a separate agenda item, the school board’s policy committee met to review the latest draft of an AI policy. The draft, still under revision, addresses academic misuse of AI by students and outlines that such use is subject to the district’s existing bullying and plagiarism policies. It also advises that teachers should not rely on AI detection tools to catch cheating because those tools can be unreliable and may bias against English‑language learners.
Several board members called for more explicit language. Jennifer Job requested that the policy prohibit non‑consensual creation of intimate images of students using AI, noting that such activity is illegal under state law. She also asked for guidance on teachers’ use of AI in grading, insisting that AI should not replace final grade determination without review. Other members sought separate guidelines for students and staff, and for different age groups.
Sam Hershey asked that the final policy include a list of approved AI tools and products that students may use at school. Becky Lew‑Hobbs, chapter chair of Moms for Liberty in Wake County, praised the policy’s foundation but said it must be expanded to cover data retention, audit systems, and a parent opt‑out process. She added that the policy should fully protect students.
The AI policy will undergo further revisions before a final vote by the school board. Meanwhile, the district’s budget proposal, which includes the meal price increase, is expected to be approved by the Wake County Board of Commissioners in early June.
Both developments underscore Wake County’s efforts to balance fiscal realities with student welfare. The meal price hike may affect participation rates, while the AI policy reflects growing concerns about technology use in classrooms. Both issues will remain on the board’s agenda as the district prepares for the upcoming school year.
