Students can eat for free

SANDUSKY — No need to worry about paying for your student's meals. For a second straight school year, any student is eligible for free breakfast and lunches. Federal funding from the USDA made it possible to extend the National School Lunch Program's Seamless Summer Option during the pandemic. By continuing this initiative, students will have options for free meals through the 2021-22 school year in schools that choose to participate. Usually, the program is only available during the summer months. Sandusky Schools has offered free meals to students for several years, but this boost helps, food service supervisor Brad Kraft said. "The extension of the summer program will help ensure meals are reaching all our children so they are fed and ready to learn, even in new and ever-changing learning environments," he said. "Sandusky City Schools serves a number of 'essential' families and as such, our students significantly benefit from the breakfast and lunch program." Shelly Geason, Edison Schools' food service director, explained how meal costs were normally calculated before the pandemic. "During a regular school year, student and staff meal prices are calculated using the USDA paid lunch equity calculator, which takes into account paid meal participation versus free/reduced meals participation," she said. "The PLE then calculates a required meal pricing for a district. This calculation is required each school year in order to stay in alignment with all USDA regulations." Edison Schools opted to take advantage of the Seamless Summer Option "to extend meals at no charge to all of our students," Geason said. "This is a great opportunity for our families, as it allows them to take one worry off the table of providing great nutrition for their students," she said. "Utilizing the current federal funding opportunity has allowed us to increase student meal participation for both breakfast and lunch at all three Edison school buildings. The no-cost meals program has helped students feel more comfortable participating in the school meals program with everyone being on equal status." The USDA increased Edison's reimbursement rates for the 2021-22 school year, and the federal funding "has helped with continued food and supply cost increases, aiding with revenue losses in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years due to the pandemic and to help keep labor hours in place." "We truly hope that the USDA will move forward with their consideration of continuing to allow schools to provide no-cost meals to all students in the years to come," Geason said. Reach reporter Caitlin Nearhood at nearhood@sanduskyregister.com and follow her on Twitter @CaitlinNearhood