WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio (WCMH) -- Increased access to nutritious school meals and keeping kids focused are the goals of administrators in Washington Court House when they recently voted unanimously to implement a federally backed school meal program for the upcoming school year.
The program, according to the superintendent, is not only a gateway to overall student well-being but also academic success.
The implementation of the USDA’s Community Eligibility Provision means every student in the district K through 12 will receive both free breakfast and lunch regardless of financial situation. The district will be reimbursed for the cost of feeding the students.
Superintendent Dr. Tom Bailey said about 50% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. He said the program will not only serve as a built-in incentive for students to attend school and arrive early, but also remove barriers and stigma.
"It is so important for the kids to be fed and they have the ability to get food here at school," Bailey said. “We don’t know all the conditions that our students live in and you know we are well aware of the students who go home and there’s not much food in the home or there’s food that really isn’t nutritious to them to help them fuel their brains for when they come to school."
Bailey said the district began in 2019 working to eliminate hunger in a vulnerable time – summer break – by creating a mobile meal service called the Big Blue Bus. Donations and federal dollars have helped to provide hundreds of thousands of meals county-wide ever since.
The program beginning at the start of the 2024-2025 school year has a similar goal.
The district is reimbursed for covering the cost of feeding every student by the USDA. A formula taking into account the number of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, or families participating in other food assistance program like SNAP is used to determine eligibility. Washington Court House fit the criteria.
"We are so blessed to be able to provide two meals a day for free for everyone and just because you’re not on free and reduced lunch doesn’t mean that you don’t need the food.” Bailey said.
Bailey hopes the program yields positive results like better attendance and more focused students.
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