Minimum school lunch times back on the menu, audit finds

Efforts to ensure Washington’s school children have adequate time to eat lunch were stalled during the COVID-19 pandemic, but are progressing again now, according to a new performance audit by the Office of the Washington State Auditor.

Elementary students often will only eat a few favorite lunch items unless they have enough time to eat a more balanced meal, and researchers recommend 20 minutes as a best practice. But a 2019 performance audit found Washington public school students often have much less than 20 minutes. Auditors recommended both a 20-minute minimum for seated lunch time, and scheduling lunch after recess, so students will not cut their mealtime short in favor of the playground.

The follow-up performance audit published today found the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction began rulemaking to require 20 minutes of seated lunch time, but the pandemic that began in 2020 stalled the agency’s efforts. OSPI restarted the rulemaking process in August 2024, and it continues today.

“Giving children enough time to eat properly is an important issue, one that parents have again raised in the post-pandemic environment,” said State Auditor Pat McCarthy. “While scheduling the school day is always a challenge, I encourage OSPI and individual school districts to continue their efforts to give students 20 minutes to eat their lunch, after active time at recess.”

While OSPI has encouraged schools to serve lunch after recess, it has not sought a rule to require schools to serve lunch after recess, the audit found. The full report can be found online here: School Nutrition: Following up on lunch scheduling guidance

Media questions: Assistant Director of Communications Adam Wilson, Adam.Wilson@sao.wa.gov, 564-999-0799