Proposed federal cuts would prevent 27,000 Henrico students from accessing free lunch program; Deep Run High School graduate killed in hit-and-run

Apr 04, 2025

A proposal introduced in Congress would cut 43 Henrico schools from a federal free lunch program, impacting 27,130 students. Deep Run High School graduate Nate Baker, a 21-year-old college student at the University of South Carolina, died after being hit by a hit-and-run driver.

Henrico teachers spoke out to the school board about hours of unpaid work they are expected to do each week.

HCPS bracing for potential federal cuts

A proposal introduced in the U.S. Congress would prevent over 12 million students across the country from accessing a federal free school lunch program, including 27,130 students in Henrico Schools.

The $12 billion in cuts proposed by House Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) would reduce the number of schools eligible for the Community Eligibility Provision program, which allows schools serving large numbers of low-income students to offer free meals schoolwide.

The Deep Run High School community is in mourning after the tragic death of an alumnus.

Nate Baker, 21, died after being hit by a hit-and-run driver while away at college at the University of South Carolina on Wednesday afternoon.

Police in Columbia, South Carolina say around 2 p.m. that day, Baker was driving his motorcycle into an intersection when he was struck by a pick-up truck.

Nearly 100 Henrico Schools teachers and staff took to the Henrico School Board’s March 27 online public forum to voice concerns about extra work they said they are expected to complete outside of their contract hours without compensation.

Staffers said that the extra duties they are assigned by their principals or administrators, often without compensation, include teaching split classrooms or covering classes, attending Individualized Education Program meetings, sponsoring student clubs, chaperoning weekend club conferences, covering bus duty, monitoring the cafeteria or playground, and more.

The U.S. Department of Education is putting Virginia schools on notice, warning they could lose federal funding and face further investigation if they fail to comply with parental rights laws.

On Friday, the department directed Virginia and other states to submit documentation proving compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), specifically regarding key “priority concerns” by April 30.