PRINCETON -
When students in Mercer County get ready to board the school bus for the first time in the new academic year, they will have one less thing to remember to pack: Lunch money.
For the first time in the county's history, all students in Mercer County will be able to get school breakfasts and lunches for free.
In June, the Mercer County Board of Education unanimously approved participation in a national pilot program called "Community Eligibility Option," which is a universal meal service plan for areas with high rates of poverty. The program was made possible by the "Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010."
"I really believe that students who eat breakfast and lunch are more ready to learn, they are not distracted and can participate in what is going on in the classroom," said Deborah Akers, Superintendent of Mercer County Schools. "I suspect that, with the old system, some students may have been self-conscious about eating, worried that others would know that they received free or reduced-price meals."
Although some of the county's schools will have to adjust their lunch schedules to accommodate an increase in the number of students eating school lunch, Akers anticipates incorporating breakfast into instructional time.
"The principals in each elementary school will develop a schedule by which students arrive at school, start their studies, and then - after 30 or 45 minutes – rotate to the cafeteria for a quick grab-and-go breakfast," said Akers. "During that cafeteria time, teachers can read aloud to their students or conduct other reading/enrichment activities, so no instructional time will be lost."
Under the new policy, parents will not need to fill out applications for free or reduced price meals as they have in the past.
Adult employees and visitors will be expected to pay for their meals at the regular price.
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