Why does a school need to get food from the federal government in the first place?
That really is the issue. Why does the Federal government hoover up taxpayer dollars and then dole them out with strings attached?
Because that is the way to put areas that used to be governed by state and local governments under the Federal thumb. It's basically a maneuver to make the 10th Amendment meaningless.
Who doles out money without strings attached? Don't think I've ever seen that.