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The Courier
www.the-courier.org
a division of Independent School District 15 Community Education | St. Francis, Minnesota
March 2014 | Volume 21, Issue 8
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School lunch programs recently in the spotlight Kathleen Miller Staff Writer
School lunch programs and how school districts handle student accounts with a negative balance recently took the spotlight in the news. A report by the advocacy project, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, was published February 10, sparking many conversations. The report revealed that 46 Minnesota school districts have policies that deny students access to a nutritious lunch, if those students do not have sufficient funds to pay for their meal. Since the report came out, Governor Mark Dayton proposed providing additional funding in the upcoming legislative session to ensure that every child has access to a nutritious lunch in Minnesota schools. Additionally, Minnesota Commissioner of Education Brenda Cassellius reached out to all Minnesota school districts, urging them to take whatever actions necessary to ensure that all Minnesota children have access to a healthy, nutritious lunch. Independent School
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District 15 (ISD 15) provided incomplete information when surveyed by Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid and was then incorrectly listed among other school districts that refuse to serve lunch to students who qualify for reduced price meals and cannot afford the 40 cent meal payment. “ISD 15 has always provided hot lunch to students that qualify for Educational Benefits (free/reduced price meals),”said Nutrition Services Program Supervisor Wendy Klobe. She added that students receiving free/reduced meals are never denied lunch if they cannot pay the 40 cents per meal fee. “If a student is identified as being from a family in economic distress, we realize they have difficult choices and do not want to give them any further strain if they cannot come up with their portion.” Ten percent of ISD 15 students qualify for reduced lunch. Students receiving Educational Benefits are also offered free breakfast each day, through state funding. These recent conversations have had a positive outcome
You would be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t know why we fought the American Revolution, but have you ever thought of it from the viewpoint of King George III sitting on his throne on the other side of the pond? Cassie Schmoll’s fifth graders have been studying the American Revolution and while digging deeper into the different events and lives of those involved, the question arose, ”How do people in Britain feel about the American Revolution?” While the British viewpoint is limited in the textbook, some of Schmoll’s students have taken it upon themselves to write a letter to Queen Elizabeth II and respectfully ask how her country views the American Revolution and how the history of the war is taught in England. Cassie Schmoll, EBCS Community Relations Coordinator in ISD 15. Current practices were reviewed and one adjustment has been made. Effective immediately, Interim Superintendent Troy Ferguson has stated that no student will be denied a school lunch. “The ISD 15 School Board, along with school administrators, will be working on developing a school board policy regarding school meals and payment procedures,” said Ferguson. Nutrition Services practices in ISD 15 have been very proactive for students who are expected to pay full price for their lunch. A lunch for a high school and middle school students is $2.40 and $2.20
for students in kindergarten through grade 5. When a student’s account balance has enough money to pay for three lunches or less, a verbal reminder is given and a smiley face hand stamp is offered. Written notices are sent home in backpacks of elementary students and the district’s automated SchoolReach calling system contacts parents/ guardians when balances fall below $5. Past practices were that once an account showed a negative balance and the charging limits had been reached, a student would be told of the availability of an alternative/ courtesy meal (fruit/vegetable
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and milk) provided free of charge. After providing the courtesy meal for two days, the cashier would notify the school social worker/counselor/ principal to contact the family and review with them their responsibility to provide meals for their child. If an emergency situation was discovered, a deposit was made into the student’s account from the Angel Fund (emergency funding from Anoka County) for a reasonable time period so the student continued getting meals. According to Klobe, a very small number of households, Continued Page 22
March What’s Inside Schools in Action..........................................2 School Board Highlights......................... 10 Community Education............................ 12 Community & Business........................... 15 Sports & Outdoors.................................... 26 Life.................................................................. 29 Classified....................................................... 33