Education administrators have had their hands full the past few weeks. They’ve had to transition to online learning for students of all ages and make sure students have the right equipment, such as tablets, to continue their studies.
They’re also ensuring that students continue to get nutritious meals. Lori Haukeness, Superintendent of the Cortez/Montezuma School District RE-1, says it’s been a team effort to get food to eligible students during the coronavirus crisis.
She adds that about 400 of the district’s nearly 2,700 students receive free lunches. And for many kids living in poverty, the food supplied by their schools may be the most substantial and nutritious meal they get all day.
More than 29 million children participate in the National School Lunch Program nationwide each day. The program is the second-biggest anti-hunger initiative in the U.S. after SNAP or food stamps. The school lunch program was signed into law by President S. Harry Truman in 1946.
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Mark Duggan is reporting on the impact of the coronavirus in the Four Corners region for KSUT Public Radio. The stories and audio here were previously aired and published by KSUT.