Park City schools already meet lunchtime guidelines as Utah lawmakers push for statewide review

PARK CITY, Utah — As state lawmakers consider whether Utah students have enough time to eat lunch during the school day, the Park City School District confirms it already meets recommended guidelines, providing students at least 20 minutes of seated lunchtime across its schools.

At the first meeting of the Utah Legislature’s Education Interim Committee, Rep. Tiara Auxier, R-Morgan, asked lawmakers to examine school lunch scheduling statewide. She raised concerns that despite recent efforts to expand access to free meals through legislation, students may still not have enough time to eat.

“One of my biggest concerns was that we were going to be putting a lot of money into this program, and the kids still weren’t going to be able to eat,” Auxier said, according to Utah News Dispatch reporter Alixel Cabrera. “We heard so many times about full trash cans and kids just being rushed out.”

Auxier referenced HB100, which passed earlier this year and provides free school lunches to students who qualify for reduced-price meals. The legislation also prohibits stigmatizing students who cannot pay for meals and encourages schools to adopt food waste reduction strategies.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that schools provide students with a minimum of 20 minutes of seated time to eat lunch, not including the time spent walking to the cafeteria or waiting in line. The Utah State Board of Education mirrors this recommendation in its Health and Wellness Policy.

In an email this week, Park City School District officials confirmed that all district schools currently meet or exceed the 20-minute seated lunch time, in compliance with both state and federal guidelines.

Other districts may not meet the standard. “They usually say, ‘Well, we just don’t have time, right? You’ve got to pack everything in,’” Rep. Candice Pierucci, R-Herriman, said during the May 22 committee meeting, as reported by Utah News Dispatch. Pierucci, who chairs the committee, acknowledged time constraints as a common concern raised by educators.

Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights, who is also an educator, supported the study but expressed concern about how lengthening lunch breaks might affect required instructional time. According to Utah News Dispatch, the committee voted unanimously to include lunch time policy in its list of 2025 interim study items.

The review is in early stages, but signals a growing legislative focus on not only access to school meals, but the time students need to benefit from them.