There are still some wrinkles to iron out when it comes to school meals as Oklahoma students prepare to head back — or, in some cases, already have returned to learning.
Districts across the state are offering a variety of options, including entirely virtual attendance, either because officials are offering it for families not comfortable sending their kids to school or because they don’t believe it’s the right time for any students to return in person. The federal government has not advised whether schools must feed virtual students.
State Department of Education Executive Director of Child Nutrition Jennifer Weber said the agency highly recommends that districts do.
"That will help keep your meal participation up, enabling you to continue to, hopefully, keep child nutrition on staff and employed. That’s one big thing we are also hearing, you’re worried about having to possibly let some staff go," Weber said last week during a regular COVID briefing for district administrators.
Some provisions from last school year and the summer have been renewed for the 2020–2021 school year, including ones that allow parents to pick up lunches and breakfasts for the week for their students attending virtually. Weber said there is an important caveat, however.
"The unfortunate thing with these waivers, because we’re under National School Lunch/School Breakfast, we can’t just give a free meal to a sibling like you’ve been doing March through August," Weber said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers school meal programs, also has not waived requirements that suppers be given only to students attending after-school programs in person.
"They have asked us to hold off on submitting that waiver until more guidance comes out. I have one ready to go if need be, though. We will absolutely be asking for one if they don’t extend it," Weber said.
