NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Students are back in school and this year in Newport News, students can eat breakfast and lunch for free.
It's news that's received nothing but positive feedback for the last several weeks.
Karina Brinceanu is a senior at Woodside High School. There was lots of catching up Tuesday, lots of talk about what everyone did over the summer and lots of chatter in the lunchroom.
Brinceanu said there are several students who can't afford lunch.
“They usually skip it and it sucks because they need to eat to get through the day,” Brinceanu said.
Linda Hinton is the cafeteria manager at Woodside.
“It's one of my main goals to make sure students get a nutritious breakfast and lunch because they can't start the day without it,” Hinton said. “It means a lot to them because many would come to school without lunch so it's awesome we can do this.”
Hinton said they served more than 1300 breakfast and lunches Tuesday, which is more than they served on the first day last year. She expects the number to grow throughout the year.
Last year, every school in Newport News but six served free breakfast and lunch. School leaders decided to go district-wide moving forward. Students like Brinceanu are thrilled.
“It means a lot because at home sometimes they don't have that, that meal, so it means a lot to get it for free,” Brinceanu said.
Michelle Price, a spokesperson for the district, confirmed that the Virginia Department of Education gave the district approval to use the Community Eligibility Provision, a federal program that reimburses schools based on the percentage of students eligible for free meals.
Schools that are eligible must have at least 40 percent of their students who are a part of other assistance programs like SNAP or TANF. These students qualify for free school meals without the use of a school meal program.
“All students in Newport News Public Schools can receive a free, healthy breakfast and lunch every school day,” said Price. “The free meals are offered through a special provision, called the Community Eligibility Provision, of the National School Breakfast and Lunch Program.”
The Community Eligibility Provision was authorized by Congress as part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.
According to Price, student participation in the program is automatic and families won't need to fill out any applications.