Submitted Photo Members of the sponsoring committee behind the free school meals ballot measure petition from left to right: Dr. Stephen McDonough, Jessica Haak, Ashley Gaschk, Michelle Wagner and Nick Archuleta.

A petition to initiate a constitutional measure has been submitted to the North Dakota Secretary of State’s office for approval which seeks to provide free school meals to all students in North Dakota schools.

According to information from the Secretary of State’s office, the proposed ballot measure was submitted by the Together for School Meals coalition, would amend Article VIII of the North Dakota Constitution to ensure all North Dakota students at public schools have access to one breakfast and one lunch each school day for free.

According to the proposed ballot measure text provided by the Secretary of State, private and tribal schools have the option to join as well. Robin Nelson of Fargo is the chairperson of the sponsoring committee.

“For years, families, educators and community members have been calling for free school meals for North Dakota’s kids. Now, we are coming together to make it a reality in North Dakota through a citizen-led ballot initiative,” Nelson said. “Providing school meals at no cost is one of the most effective, research-backed ways to strengthen academic performance, reduce stress on families, and give every child a fair shot. That’s why I’m committed to helping move this forward because feeding kids isn’t just good policy, it’s the right thing to do for their future.”

If approved, the Secretary of State and Attorney General will now have five to seven business days to draft a title for the petition. The petition will then be circulated by the sponsoring committee to collect the required 31,164 signatures to get the measure on the 2026 ballot.

The deadline for submitting petition signatures to the Secretary of State is 120 days before the election at which the measure is to appear on the ballot or one year from the date the petition is approved for circulation.