Hauppague - Suffolk Executive Steve Levy was joined by school administrators, not-for-profit organizations and social services and health department officials at a press conference yesterday where he announced the countywide expansion of a free school-lunch program that has been successfully implemented in the Sachem School District.
In 2008, Suffolk initiated a pilot program with Sachem to increase the number of students using the Federal Free School Lunch program for both breakfast and lunch services. The experiment resulted in 30 additional students in the district now receiving free or discounted lunches and breakfasts. Pleased with the successful outcome of the pilot, Levy has now broadened the assessment program to the county's nearly 350 public schools and more than 250,000 students.
The Federal Free School Lunch program has been in place through the federal government for decades, and some 38,000 public school students in Suffolk currently receive free lunches and breakfast (the latter where available). Nonetheless, the county executive pointed out during the press conference at Sachem's Sequoya Middle School in Holtsville that expanded eligibility rules likely have not been taken advantage of by many students who could qualify. Levy has made it a priority to reach out to all potentially eligible students to ensure that no child goes hungry throughout the day.
“A well-nourished child is a child who will be better equipped to learn and prosper," Levy asserted, pointing out that free school-lunch program participants' identities are kept confidential. “No child in Suffolk County, or anywhere else, should go hungry because of a lack of financial resources at home."
More than 30 of Suffolk's 69 school districts have asked to be included in the expanded program, according to Suffolk Social Services Commissioner Janet DeMarzo. These districts will provide information to New York State officials, who will generate a list of students who meet eligibility requirements and can begin receiving the free lunch service. Suffolk's goal is to complete the eligibility assessment for all participating school districts in time for the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year, and DeMarzo said it is possible that hundreds of additional students could be identified as eligible.
