The USDA has announced that its school lunch program has been expanded to allow all school students throughout the nation to eat breakfast and lunch free through the end of 2020.
Several area school administrators said this includes students attending traditionally and virtually.
“The program goes into effect immediately as long as we have on file to the State Department of Education in the Child Nutrition Division, which we do,” said Meeker superintendent Jeff Pruitt.
“This is absolutely a good program and helps us. Around 60 percent of our students qualify for free and reduce breakfast anyway.”
He said any student, including those attending traditionally and virtually, may eat breakfast and lunch free. Those virtual students simply have to come up to the school, Pruitt stated.
Pruitt said that Meeker schools is still asking that parents complete the free and reduced meal program application because the changes are only approved through December of 2020.
He said the USDA school lunch program will return to standard regulations in January of 2021.
Stroud School Supt. Joe Van Tuyl said more than 60 percent of their students qualify for the program and sees this expansion to have a high potential to help families.
“It’s beneficial to families,” he said.
Dale School’s Acting Supt. Ky Wilkins informed his board of education last week about the USDA program. “This includes traditional students and those attending virtually who want to come to the school and pick up those meals,” Wilkins explained.
“This will be a good thing for us,” said Wilkins.
He mentioned that about 60 percent of Dale’s students qualify for free or reduced meals anyway. “But this allows all the students to eat free, Wilkins noted.
North Rock Creek School Supt. Blake Moody said, “We’re excited because it’s going to help a whole lot of families. It was nice to have a bit of good news during times like this,” he added.
He said normally about 45 percent of NRC students qualify for free or reduced meals. “This will provide free breakfast and lunch for close to 600 additional students who now can potentially eat free,” he said.
Moody related that about five percent of the students are attending virtually. “We started out at 10 percent, but most of those have come back to the classroom.”
“We have some virtual students participating. “They come to the back of the high school and pick up five breakfasts for the week and each day they come to pick up a hot lunch,” he said