Tennessee school district distributes homework packets with meals during coronavirus

Like many K-12 school districts around the country operating under coronavirus restrictions, the Jackson-Madison County School System (JMCSS) in Tennessee has been distributing free meals to students—in fact, anyone 18 or under—while schools are closed, but with a twist, as the distribution program includes a bonus: educational packets specific to different grade levels that are handed to district students at the same time as the food to help them keep up with their studies.

The second largest school district in Western Tennessee, JMCSS has an enrollment of around 12,000, with 82% of its students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Act. Consequently, the district serves all students free of charge under federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) rules.

Meal distribution is being conducted between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. from nine school sites five days a week, with each student getting one breakfast and one lunch each day. In addition, the district’s two buses are taking meals to stops along the outlying areas of the district, also daily. After a modest start, the education packets have become a regular feature at the meal distribution sites.

Meals for distribution in the Jackson-Madison County School District being packed into insulated containers. They will be distributed along with educational materials to district children.

“Our leadership thought this would be an excellent way to also include education in this service that was already being provided,” explains Alison Pyron, school nutrition director for the district. Originally, “teachers and principals—who of course are limited and can’t come into the buildings—were directed to put [educational materials] together for the children online, but not every child has access to that.”

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The effort first started off on only certain days of the week but “as the numbers got bigger and bigger with more children wanting to come in—or parents wanting something for their children to do while they’re at home—the numbers just got really huge for just those few days, so now it’s just about every day,” Pyron says.

The leadership at each school rotate different staff members to be present when the meals are being provided. They are at a separate table to which district students are directed to get a packet. Specific packets are available for each grade level.

“These are true educational resources that teachers have pulled together and prepared to continue to educate the students while they’re out,” Pyron says.

As for the meals being distributed, counts have been increasing lately, up to some 3,000 meals a day, though that is still far below the 10,000 or so daily meals the school meal program serves when classes are in session, says Pyron.

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JMCSS originally suspended classes on March 23^rd, the day after they were to resume following spring break, extending to April 24^th. A determination of what happens after that date has yet to be made, but Pyron plans to keep up the meal distribution as long schools remain shut.

The initial meal numbers were pure guesswork, she admits.

“We planned for more than we probably should have, but that’s OK. It’s a cold meal pickup and that’s what I’d like to continue to do as long as we can.”

She does worry about two things. One is the temperature integrity of the meals once they are picked up—“we just don’t know how long that meal is going to sit in that car after it’s picked up,” she notes—and the other is conforming to federal school meal regulations, even though they have been somewhat loosened during the coronavirus crisis period.

“We’re trying to keep as close as we can to providing all the things they’re supposed to be getting,” Pyron says, “and we have been very fortunate to have wonderful cooperation and willingness from our distributor and the vendors that supply it.”

The meals generally consist of an entrée like a cold sandwich along with fresh vegetables, plus fresh fruit if available. “It’s hard to find shelf-stable items,” Pyron says, “so they’re pretty much what I would call a field trip lunch, but they are meeting the meal pattern requirements so far.”

Meanwhile, kids are also still getting some education along with those meals.

Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]