Free breakfast now provided for some Clark County students

Students at Miami View Elementary School can eat before heading to class without paying now because of a newly implemented breakfast program.

Southeastern Local Schools and AVI Foodsystems teamed together recently to place what is known as the Universal Breakfast Program in the school. The program provides a free breakfast to students regardless of their families ability to pay.

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“AVI Foodsystems have done a lot of research and has found students who eat breakfast, it helps kids in schools,” John Grummel said.

Grummel is an employee of AVI and is contracted to work with Southeastern and Greenon Local Schools.

“This program has been at Enon Primary and Indian Valley for almost two years,” he said.

Southeastern expects to pay little to nothing for the program as well, Superintendent David Shea said. He said the district will be reimbursed for the costs by the federal government.

Serving breakfast to students isn’t new to the district, Shea said. Previously students on a free or reduced-cost breakfast program and or students who paid for the food received the early morning meal but not every student ate there. But now food is waiting on the cafeteria tables as students walk into the school in the morning.

“Teachers were very excited that all the kids will get a chance to eat,” Shea said. “I have gotten a lot of positive feedback. The kids for the most part are excited and they like the idea of it too.”

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Students from pre-school to third grade were seen this past week sitting and eating while visiting with friends before class. Meanwhile, the fourth, fifth and sixth graders still get to hangout at the gym before school starts and then they get to take their breakfast to their class with them.

Shea said for the program to continue, more than 75 percent of the student population must partake in the meals throughout the year. He said that he expects the district to reach that number.

“Of the kids that are here hopefully every kid will sit down and eat,” Shea said.


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