School districts in at least five states鈥擫ouisiana, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia鈥攈ave suspended or adjusted their meal-distribution programs because their employees have contracted coronavirus or there is fear that they will.
Near Baton Rouge, La., a cluster of a dozen districts have either suspended or reduced the days of service for their meal programs.
The 110,000-student Shelby County, Tenn., school system also suspended its program after a food services employee tested positive for the new strain of coronavirus, or COVID-19.
And a surge in coronavirus cases in the city of Detroit led the school district to cut the number of sites where meals are being offered by 70 percent.
At least 16 school districts, serving nearly a half-million students combined, have either suspended or altered their meal-distribution programs due to coronavirus-related concerns, according to local media reports.
In other districts, administrators report staff members are nervous about reporting for work and volunteers have stepped in to fill shifts as governors across the country order more businesses closed and issue stay-at-home orders.
Millions of students rely on the free or discounted meals they eat at school鈥攁nd that number could rise in the coming weeks as more people lose work.
But, as the virus spreads, and illness and fear shuts down food sites, schools now face a new hurdle to feeding the hungry.
In Houston, one of the nation鈥檚 10 largest school districts, staff are encountering mile-long lines at the 50 meal-pickup sites the district runs per week. The sites will remain open despite a stay-at-home order issued this week by countywide leaders to slow the spread of the coronavirus in Texas.
The order has left the school district thin on staff to serve thousands of families in dire need of food, said Betti Wiggins, the officer of nutrition services for the Houston schools.
Wiggins began her tenure in the Houston schools two months before Hurricane Harvey leveled the city, causing catastrophic flooding that left many families homeless and hungry. But the current situation has been more challenging, she said.
鈥淭his is a crisis beyond crises,鈥� said Wiggins. 鈥淲e鈥檙e losing volunteers. We鈥檙e just trying to hold things together.鈥� In the time since Education Week interviewed Wiggins, the 225,000-student school system suspended meal distribution as the district 鈥渞e-evaluates its process for safely delivering this service,鈥� according to a statement issued Wednesday night.
Workers at Risk
Federal officials have tried to inform the public that coronavirus is not likely to be transmitted by food.
鈥淭here is no evidence so far with this that we are seeing foodborne-driven or food service-driven spread of this,鈥� Dr. Ian Williams, deputy incident manager for coronavirus response at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a webinar hosted this month by the Food Industry Association. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really that close personal contact, that sustained exposure to a person who was actually ill.鈥�
But the attempts have done little to calm public concerns.
In a survey conducted this month by the nutrition group, more than 70 percent of food-services director expressed concern about the safety of employees preparing and distributing meals, and whether employees will continue to be available and willing to work during school closures.
With concerns mounting about the spread of coronavirus in West Virginia鈥檚 Kanawha County schools, home to the state鈥檚 largest district, daily grab-and-go meal distribution.
When service resumes, the district will distribute meals by bus one day a week, handing out multiple meals per visit. The goal is to reduce the number of interactions between staffers and the public to reduce the potential spread of the coronavirus.
鈥淚 know they鈥檙e looking to be able to provide meals and they鈥檙e important, but we have to keep people alive,鈥� Joe White, the executive director of the West Virginia School Service Personnel Association, a union that represents food service workers and other school support staff.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice issued a stay-at-home order that was set to begin Tuesday night. At least two Kanawha County government employees have tested positive for coronavirus and White said his workers are worried they could be next.
鈥淥ur workforce is an aged workforce,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e have a lot of older people who are working and they鈥檙e at risk. If you鈥檙e 65, 70 years old, you don鈥檛 need to be out there.鈥�
鈥楬elping Families Feel Safe鈥�
In Detroit, the school system revamped food distribution as more employees began to test positive for the novel coronavirus.
In the past 13 days, the number of COVID-19 cases in the city has surged from zero to 550, said Denise Fair, the chief public health officer of the Detroit Health Department.
On Monday, the district informed families it was stopping food service in an automated call, initially tying it to a stay-at-home order issued by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, .
The district has since reversed its decision, with plans to resume service from 17 locations. That鈥檚 a 70 percent decrease from the 58 sites the district operated last week.
The district has not released any information on how many district employees or contractors have tested positive for coronavirus.
鈥淔amilies still need to be able to provide resources to their children,鈥� said Fair, the city鈥檚 public health director. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to help issue guidance to help families feel safe. I want to make sure children have food.鈥�
The survey by the School Nutrition Association conducted this month found that most directors indicated that, to practice social distancing, their districts鈥痯rovided grab-and-go鈥痬eals at school sites or drive-thru pick-up鈥痠n school bus loops鈥痮r parking lots.
In Louisiana, the districts that have either suspended or altered their meal programs since Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a statewide stay-at-home order for all residents serve about 90,000 students. At least two of the districts, St. Helena and St. James, have employees who tested positive for COVID-19, .
In a speech this week, Edwards told residents that Louisiana, with roughly 1,200 positive tests, has the highest number of cases per capita in the country behind New York and Washington state. The governor鈥檚 office is partnering with the National Guard to help districts develop plans for meal delivery.
鈥淐losing schools means putting our children at risk of hunger,鈥� acting state Superintendent Beth Scioneaux wrote in letter to districts this week. 鈥淵ou have gone above and beyond and the Department of Education is truly grateful for your efforts. The Governor, too, expresses his deep appreciation for all you have done for our children and our communities during this uncertain time.鈥�
In Shelby County, Tenn., where schools suspended their program last Friday after a food services employee tested positive for COVID-19, the YMCA of Memphis and the Mid-South and area food banks stepped in to ensure the program continued. More than 60 percent of the district鈥檚 students are eligible for free- and reduced-price meals.
鈥�69传媒鈥� basic needs must be met first,鈥� Shelby County Superintendent Joris Ray said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e just thankful that we were able to make hard, fast decisions and that we had the full support of our community.鈥�
The district moved early to try and stop the spread of coronavirus, shutting down schools before spring break and offering extra training and reminders to food service staff about safety precautions. But the community鈥檚 efforts didn鈥檛 work: Shelby County, which includes the city of Memphis, now has more than 130 COVID-19 cases.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just very difficult, this whole new way of living,鈥� said Wiggins, the Houston food services officer. 鈥淭his is a long-term issue. The things that we鈥檙e learning now, we may be doing for awhile.鈥�
