HUMBOLDT — All students in the Humboldt school district are now eligible for free meals for the remainder of the school year.
The district joins USD 257 in Iola in providing the free meals.
USD 258 announced the change this week, effective when students returned to school on Wednesday after the winter break.
There was a slight hitch, though. A leak in the HVAC system at Humboldt Elementary School forced its closing. Families in need of child care, however, could have their children attended to in the gymnasium and other parts of the building where heat was available. About 20 students came to the school. The Growing Place daycare also brought its students to the elementary school for lunch, taking advantage of the meals which were already planned before the HVAC issue was discovered.
Classes resumed as expected for middle and high school students. Elementary classes were expected to resume on Thursday.
THE FREE meals are made possible through the Community Eligibility Provision, a program offered through the USDA and Kansas for schools in low-income areas to provide breakfast and lunch at no cost to students.
The program allows all students, regardless of income, to eat breakfast and lunch at no charge. Superintendent Amber Wheeler said the board agreed to try the program for the spring semester.
“We know the value of providing healthy meals for our students, so this allows us to do that for everyone. We know there are families that struggle but don’t qualify for free or reduced meals,” she said.
Earlier this year, the state and federal government relaxed requirements to join the Community Eligibility Provision. The program considers the number of students who receive government assistance such as free and reduced meals, Medicaid, and food stamps, and the number of foster children.
The requirements were lowered again in October, which allowed Humboldt to apply. The district was approved on Tuesday.
The program will reimburse schools based on the number of students who choose to eat breakfast and lunch at school. Wheeler said she is optimistic enough students will participate to cover the district’s food service costs.
“We looked at the numbers and we think we’re going to be close,” Wheeler said. “Our hope is that the number of students who eat meals will increase. It did when we offered free meals before,” under a USDA program that provided free meals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In September, USD 258 provided a total of more than 6,000 lunch meals and about 3,500 breakfasts.
The program comes with some restrictions. It covers only full student meals, which means it does not cover “a la carte” food items offered to middle and high school students. Students also have to pay for “extra” milk, such as if they are bringing a meal from home or want an extra carton. Adults have to pay for a meal.
Humboldt also has taken steps to boost the number of students who choose to eat at school. Middle and high school students, in particular, often skip breakfast. Last year, only about 20 students ate breakfast so the district offered a “Second Chance” grab-and-go breakfast. More than 100 students now take advantage of the option. Those meals also will be covered by the new program.
