Cuyahoga Falls schools see lunch debts climbing; community offers to help
Increasing amounts of lunch debt have prompted the Cuyahoga Falls Board of Education to tighten its meal payment policy — and generated community interest in helping to feed students despite restrictive donation rules.
Starting this week, the district will take several steps if a student's account lacks funds to cover meal costs:
Families will receive a notice when the student has been served two days without sufficient funds.
If the student is served a fourth day without sufficient funds, families will receive a call from the school principal.
After the sixth day, the family will be contacted by the food service supervisor, and the student will no longer receive meals until the account is sufficiently funded.
Christine Stewart, coordinator of community relations, said since the notice went out, the district has heard from individuals and organizations asking how they can help resolve the lunch debts.
"All of these people have been reaching out, wanting to help us," Stewart said. "We are just so incredibly grateful for the support they have been showing."
The district is looking at ways of creating a system where people could donate. One challenge is that by law, people can't contribute only to one student or even a specific school.
"This was a situation where it is not a win-win for anybody," Stewart said of the district's policy change. "We want to make sure our students are fed. It was a rough choice to make."
Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Education provided free meals to students — whether or not they qualified for the free or reduced meal program. That program ended June 30.
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"Since the beginning of the school year, the amount of debt continued to climb even after several strategies were incorporated to assist families with insufficient funds on their accounts," Stewart said. "We have fed every child, regardless of account status, up to this point. In addition, we have communicated with families about our free and reduced meal program and provided assistance to every family with the application process. Every week, emails and phone calls are made to families reminding them of their account status, and school staff has also made personal calls to families."
In addition, Stewart said that Bill Bailey, the district's nutrition and food service supervisor, testified in Columbus on March 23 to the Secondary Education Finance Subcommittee to advocate for funding for school meals in the state budget. Bailey also was one of 40 Ohio school nutrition professionals who traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with members of Congress in support of student meal programs.
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For this school year, breakfasts are $1.20, and lunches are $2.50 at the district's elementary schools; are $1.75 for breakfast and $3 for lunch at the two middle schools; and $1.95 for breakfast and $3.35 for lunch at the high school. Those on the reduced-price plan pay 30 cents and 40 cents for breakfast and lunch respectively.
For details on the free and reduced school meal program, visit the district's food and nutrition services page at https://www.cfalls.org/FoodandNutritionServices.aspx.
Stewart said many school districts are struggling with the same issues.
The Cuyahoga Falls school district also partners with the Ben Curtis Family Foundation to provide food and toiletry items to families, as well as partnering with local food pantries, Stewart said.
"We want to be very clear that we will help any family who is in need," said Superintendent Andrea Celico. "We do not want children to go unfed."
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Reporter April Helms can be reached at ahelms@thebeaconjournal.com
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: With pandemic aid ended, Cuyahoga Falls sees school meal debts rising
