The Warren County School District has done the right thing in extending free breakfasts and lunches to its students this school year.

In Warren County, 15.5% of children are classified as food insecure, a number that totals 1,190 children, according to Feeding America. Pre-COVID school breakfast and lunch programs would have helped some of those children — but others would not meet the poverty guidelines to receive free lunches at school.

We agree with the action the Warren County school board took in spending local money to ensure all children in the district had access to free lunches every day as was the case under federal waivers issued during the COVID-19 pandemic. But we all know the $286,000 cost to do so through the federal Community Eligibility Program isn’t sustainable in the long run.

Not all school districts have the ability to do so, which is part of what makes a proposal by state Rep. Emily Kinkead, D-Pittsburgh, interesting. Kinkead proposes providing free lunches to all students as inflation is forcing families to stretch their dollars further than ever before.

Since the pandemic, federal funding paid for school lunches for all students — not just those who met the guidelines for free or reduced lunch. That ended as kids came back to school in August, meaning families either have to pay for the food to pack a lunchbox or fill their children’s lunch accounts at school.

“Given the ongoing economic challenges facing Pennsylvania families, now is the time to provide free school meals to all students who are not already covered through the federal free and reduced-price-meal and Community Eligibility Provision programs,” Kinkead wrote in her legislative memorandum.

It’s hard to disagree with Kinkead’s logic. Food insecurity is only going to get worse, and expecting local school districts to bear the cost of doing the right thing isn’t realistic. A federal solution is really needed, but Republicans in the state Legislature should give serious consideration to Kinkead’s proposal.