Kids get meals despite school closures
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ALPENA -- Beginning today, Northeast Michigan school districts will distribute meals to kids sent home because of the coronavirus.
Districts are working to feed students, many of whom count on schools for meals, after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday ordered all K-12 schools closed until April 6 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Food will be handed out at school bus stops and can be picked up at school buildings on certain days. The food will be delivered to bus stops three hours after the usual morning pickup time.
Meanwhile, other area school districts are implementing similar measures. Some are delivering at bus stops, like Alpena Public Schools, while Onaway schools are taking meals directly to students' homes.
More information for each district's plan can be found on districts' Facebook pages. School officials also will communicate through automatic phone calls, emails, and other means.
APS officials said meals are available for anyone 18 and younger, as well as any special education student 26 and younger. Each day a person picks up food, they'll get breakfast and lunch for multiple days.
If children have food allergies, they are advised to leave a message on the APS Food Hotline 989-358-5019.
"You can either wait for your bus stop to get food every other day, you can go to any elementary school, or you can go to the high school on the alternate day," APS Superintendent John VanWagoner said on Monday. "Any child in our school district boundaries can receive food."
Food pickup locations include Alpena High School and Besser, Ella White, Hinks, Lincoln, Sanborn, and Wilson elementaries.
VanWagoner said districts such as APS are able to order and distribute food because they have been given permission by the federal government and the state under the National School Lunch and Breakfast program. This program allows children to receive nutritionally balanced meals as part of their regular school day.
Various staff members will assist with meal distributions, including bus drivers, instructional assistants, secretaries, and teachers. VanWagoner said many teachers are volunteering to man pick-up stations at different buildings to help distribute the food and tally how many kids are receiving meals.
"All of our people are getting paid for their regular (work) times throughout the district, so we're utilizing them as much as we can, but also trying to not create crowds," he said. "We have a lot of small little groups all over the place."
VanWagoner said about 60% of Alpena students get free or reduced lunch every day. Officials expect to distribute 1,500 to 2,000 meals every two days. However, the district is prepared to give out 5,000 meals in two days, if the need arises.
Each packed bag includes two breakfasts and two lunches. A person's bag will contain four milks and a variety of dry foods, like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a fruit and juice cup, a cheese stick, and pastries.
"We are running a 604-mile stretch every day … so we essentially became the largest Meals on Wheels program in the state of Michigan in the Lower Peninsula," VanWagoner said.
As of Monday, VanWagoner said, the district does not have any plans for making up the days lost because of the state-ordered closure, or how the closure would affect state standardized testing. Further discussion on the topics of homework and makeup days will be discussed in the weeks ahead.
Meanwhile, Alpena-Montmorency-Alcona Educational Service District Superintendent Scott Reynolds said the state has asked his district to help coordinate child care for emergency personnel during the extended break from school. For health care, fire, police, and sanitation workers, especially, Reynolds said, they want to find as many ways as they can to help them.
At Alpena Community College, all in-person classes are canceled until April 6. Online-only courses will resume online beginning Wednesday, and instructors will communicate with students on how they can access course work.
Meakalia Previch-Liu can be reached at 989-989-358-5680 or mprevich-liu@thealpenanews.com.