All OKC school district students will eat free in 2017-18

Oklahoma City Public Schools students will eat for free when they return to school in August, district officials announced Thursday.

With the Eugene Field Elementary School cafeteria serving as a backdrop, officials said the district will serve breakfast and lunch free of charge to 44,000 students during the 2017-18 school year.

The meals will be funded through the USDA's Community Eligibility Provision, a federal program that subsidizes meals for schools and school districts in low-income areas.

"Research has shown that students who eat breakfast and lunch on a daily basis increase their attendance, improve their behavior and perform better in school," Superintendent Aurora Lora said.