On December 15, 2025, the U.S. House passed a bipartisan bill allowing schools to offer students whole milk and nondairy beverage options in school meal programs. The Senate passed the bill in November.
Currently, school districts are currently permitted to only serve fat-free and low-fat milks in school meals due to concerns that milk consumption contributes to high cholesterol and obesity in young people, according to a fact sheet from the House Education and Workforce Committee. Schools are already required to offer a milk substitute to students with doctor’s notes saying they have a disability limiting their ability to consume fluid milk. The newly passed Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 would allow parents and legal guardians to submit similar requests to schools to serve their children nondairy substitutes.
The bill has been sent to the White House for signature. For more from K-12 Dive, click here.