All students of Dublin ISD are now eligible to receive a free breakfast and lunch in a move that was made effective Sept. 15.
Meals will also be a available for pickup at Intermediate and Secondary School for any of those needing to feed children under the age of 18 that is not enrolled in Dublin Independent School District.
Anyone with questions can contact Nocona Estes at 445-0469.
This decision was made possible after U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will extend several flexibilities through as late as Dec. 31, 2020.
The flexibilities allow summer meal program operators to continue serving free meals to all children into the fall months. This unprecedented move will help ensure – no matter what the situation is on-the-ground – children have access to nutritious food as the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. USDA has been and continues to be committed to using the Congressionally appropriated funding that has been made available.
Last week, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller provided additional guidance to the public, elected officials, and school leaders on how Texas will implement federal school meal programs in this state for the fall semester.
“Thanks to the hard work of local school district operators, school nutrition staff and the Texas Department of Agriculture, all students will have access to school meals this fall in Texas,” said Commissioner Miller. “We’re doing things a little different here in Texas and school districts will be given the ability to choose the option that works best for their students. I’m a big believer in local control, and now more than ever, local school officials need the flexibility to respond to this pandemic in the way that best serves their community.”
Under the announced TDA guidelines, school districts must choose from two meal service options, either the National School Lunch program or the extended Summer Meal Program. Each of these options comes with their own set of differing guidelines and the services provided may look different from district to district. However, thanks to the announcement from USDA and the guidance from the Texas Department of Agriculture, all schools may elect to utilize programs that provide free meals to all enrolled students this fall as necessary and appropriate.
“The good news here is that every child will have access to meals this fall,” said Miller.
—Citizen staff report