With classes suspended statewide through at least April 6, Oklahoma school districts are making arrangements to guarantee their students do not go hungry.
As part of a March 16 emergency school board meeting, state Superintendent Joy Hofmeister announced that the state had received waivers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide meals for students in a non-communal setting while districts are shut down due to the novel coronavirus.
Starting March 23, Pawhuska Public Schools will have free grab and go breakfasts and lunches available at the elementary school’s circle drive area to any student. Breakfast bags will be available from 8-9 a.m., while lunch is served from 11 a.m. through 12:30 p.m.
The district will also be delivering free meals to the following areas around Pawhuska while school is out due to the virus:
- Meadow Glenn Addition
- St. Paul and Old Highway 99
- Ninth and Prudom
- Sunset and Bayliss
- 17th and Bighill
Meal deliveries will be in a labeled district vehicle with breakfast coming around 8:30 a.m. and lunch around 11:30 a.m.
Other area districts are also making similar arrangements that will also start on March 23 and last until classes resume or as other changes warrant.
In Skiatook, students can pick up meals Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to noon in the First Baptist Church’s West Campus parking lot at 825 W. Rogers Blvd.
Woodland Public Schools will have grab and go meals available Monday through Thursday from 10-11 a.m. at the high school cafeteria in Fairfax and the middle school cafeteria in Ralston.
Avant School will have a meal pickup line outside its cafeteria from 8-9 a.m. Participating families are required to stay in their cars and have their students with them. Individual arrangements are being made to accommodate rural bus riders.
Anderson School near Sand Springs will have meals available from 8-10 a.m. Monday through Friday in its front parking lot.
Barnsdall students can pick up breakfast and lunch from 8:30-9:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday at the elementary school cafeteria or the Assembly of God Church. Individual delivery is available for out of town bus riders.
Wynona Public Schools will have a drive through-style meal service available from 8-9 a.m. and noon-1 p.m. on Third Street for all area students. Students who ride the bus into town can pick up their meals at their bus stop. Wynona families are also asked to let the district know as soon as possible about whether they have internet access at home in case web-based instruction is needed to finish out the school year.
Through a partnership with the local Ministerial Alliance, Shidler Schools will have curbside meal pick-up from 11 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday at Shidler United Methodist Church, Kaw City United Methodist Church, Burbank Baptist Church, Webb City Church of God and Grainola United Methodist Church.
Bartlesville Public Schools will have drive-through meal service available at Central Middle School at 815 SE Delaware Ave., and Madison Middle School, at 5900 Baylor Drive.
Breakfast is available from 8-9:30 a.m. and lunch is 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Delivery service about an hour later will be available for some of the bus routes.
Additionally, BPS sites will be open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on March 23 for families to quickly grab necessities that were left at school over Spring Break, such as medication or school-issued Chromebooks and chargers. Families that do come up to school sites are asked to observe social distancing while retrieving items.
Hominy Public Schools has directed parents to SignUpGenius to submit how many children will need meals in their families for delivery. The school district is offering grab and go sack meals for breakfast and lunch at the following locations: Fallin Addition (The Bronx), Osage Fitness Center, The Park by the Old Carver School, The Park by the Low Water Bridge, U.S. Post Office, Osage Village Apartments, Horace Mann Elementary Cafeteria, Osage Community Center in the Village, Bus Routes – Doyle Edwards route, Eric Roberts route and Jimmy Coon’s route.
The state’s second-largest district, Tulsa Public Schools, will have curbside meal service available at multiple sites within each high school’s feeder pattern. For a full list, please visit www.tulsaschools.org/mealsites. On the first day, breakfast is available from 8:30-9:30 a.m., with lunch and the next day’s breakfast available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Starting on March 24, meal pickups will only be available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will include the next day’s breakfast.
Additionally, the district’s “Meals on Wheels” program will make 170 stops throughout the city from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
By
Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton
Original Publish Date: 2020-03-22 00:00:00
