Please Help Save Free Meals for SPS Students

Following up on a story I posted in the Friday Open Thread (see below), more on food at school news via the Washington State PTSA:
PTA members know that nutrition is essential to children’s health and well-being, and that hungry children can’t focus on learning.
The USDA is currently taking public comments on a proposed rule change that threatens to leave tens of thousands of Washington State students without access to the free school meals they previously qualified for. Washington State PTA is asking you to take action by submitting a public comment asking the USDA to withdraw the proposed Revision of the Categorical Eligibility in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Please feel free to customize the prewritten comment provided, and go to https://www.regulations.gov/comment?D=FNS-2018-0037-0001 to leave your comment.
Part of the provided comment:
In Washington state, when about two-thirds of the student body is automatically enrolled in free meals, the Community Eligibility Provision allows that school to offer free meals to every student without collecting meal applications. If those eligibility numbers drop below the two-thirds threshold as a result of students losing SNAP, the school will lose the ability to provide free meals to everyone. This means the number of students at risk of losing free meals in the state has the potential to be much greater than 17,000.
Friday Open Thread Story:
Sad news that some schools in Kent SD and SPS have lost some free breakfast coverage.  Details from KNKX:
Five schools in Kent that were offering free meals to all students will no longer have the program this school year. Separately, in Seattle, United Way of King County has ended a grant for a breakfast pilot program in nine schools.

Lauren McGowan, senior director of ending homelessness and poverty at United Way of King County, said the grant was intended to help the school district establish a Breakfast After the Bell pilot program, but that the program didn’t result in that many more students eating breakfast.

Seattle Public Schools spokesman Tim Robinson said the schools that were part of the pilot program were Aki Kurose, Beacon Hill, Concord, Dearborn Park, Lowell, Northgate, Olympic Hills, Sanislo and Wing Luke. Students from low-income households will continue to receive breakfast for free, Robinson said.
“We appreciate the partnership we have with United Way to help feed students,” he said. “While we will continue to offer breakfast, both before school and after the bell, we’re not equipped to move forward with some of the specifics United Way is seeking, like serving meals in classrooms.”

Comments

Anonymous said…
Both Northgate and Olympic Hills are District 1. Any chance we'll hear from the candidates from District 1 on this issue?

HP
9/17/19, 7:52 AM
Taylor Bara said…
I can only recommend to use this apps https://digitalsmartcitizen.com/best-writing-apps-for-your-writing-project/ for every student. They would make your life much more easier.
1/29/20, 7:26 AM
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