HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. — New this school year in Hernando County, all public school students will be able to have free breakfast and lunch.
- New program comes from expansion of Disaster Snap benefits
- School board expanded community eligibility provision program
- Students will have access to free breakfasts, lunches for 4 years
The new policy is giving some students access to food that they didn't have before.
"I like having free lunch because last year I didn't have the opportunity to eat lunch, said Brandon Caride, a Senior at Nature Coast Technical High School. "I didn't have enough money personally, so I would have to bring my own lunch."
After Hurricane Irma, many students qualified for Disaster Snap Benefits. Over the summer, the school board decided to expand the community eligibility provision program they started in 2017.
Seventeen of the 23 schools in the district participated in the program last year. None of the high schools were included in the first year of the program.
"We hope that students get to learn about whether it's eating more fruits and vegetables that they have access to, the fresh fruits and vegetables that we have on the line every single day,” Lori Drenth, Director of Food and Nutrition Services, explained. "Students are being fed so they can learn."
All students will have access to free breakfast and lunch for the next four years. At that point, the district will decide whether to continue the program at individual schools.
For now, students say they're already seeing the benefits.
"It kind of fuels me for the rest of the school day," Caride said.
"It makes an easier job for the teachers, and that's what we're here to do is support student learning," Drenth added.
Students who attend public charter schools are also included in the free meals program.