The new school year is set to begin Monday for most area school districts, and a few have made changes to meals, student safety, and cell phone use.
Students and their families in the Toledo Public Schools do not have to worry about breakfast or lunch during the school week.
Carrie L. Kolodziejczyk, senior director of child nutrition and food service, said students in the district now have access to free breakfast and lunch.
“It is for all students, all grade levels, in every building,” Ms. Kolodziejczyk said. “There have been changes in programs that now allow more students to qualify.”
Ms. Kolodziejczyk said starting this school year, students whose families who qualify for Medicaid are now eligible for free breakfast and lunch.
Prior to this year, only students whose families qualified for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as food stamps, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families qualified for the free meals.
Starting this year, families in Ohio that receive Medicaid, the state-run health insurance program for the poor, also can now be “directly certified” to automatically receive free or reduced lunch.
“Before, people who just received Medicaid were not approved for the free lunch program,” Ms. Kolodziejczyk said. “Last year, 50 percent of our students qualified for the free meals. Now, with Medicaid added in, 78 percent of our students qualify.”
Because of that high percentage of low-income students, the district is now eligible for reimbursement for the cost of meals by the federal government, through a program called the Community Eligibility Provision, provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“With over 60 percent of our students qualifying for the meals, we can now offer free meals to every student through the program,” she said. “It was a fiscal choice on our part. Now we can get the full rate for the meals reimbursed.”
“We are thrilled that children can have free, healthy meals,” Ms. Kolodziejczyk said. “It is better for them and will allow them to perform better academically. It will improve the quality of the students’ lives. We are excited to be able to offer this. Now 5,000 more kids will have access to the free meals.”
Springfield Local Schools has spent the summer working on a safety initiative to help students and drivers at the roundabout located on McCord Road at Hall Street and West Mall Drive in Holland.
According to Tayler Redinger, director of community relations for Springfield Local Schools, the district is launching a media campaign concerning the roundabout in front of Springfield High School.
“We have been working with the Lucas County Health Department, Lucas County engineers, Holland police, Lucas County Sheriff’s Office, and fire departments to address safety concerns at the roundabout in front of the high school,” Ms. Redinger said. “This area has been the site of several accidents in the past, and we are committed to educating the community on safe practices for crossing the road.”
Preliminary data from the Ohio Department of Transportation show there were 19 crashes in 2023.
“There have been many issues at the roundabout including students not being able to cross safely,” she said. “Older people and others just do not know how to use a roundabout, especially one with a crosswalk in it.”
The district’s campaign includes educating students on safe crossing practices during back-to-school assemblies and informing drivers of speed limits, proper stopping for pedestrians, and increased police presence during school hours.
“Starting now through September, there will be more police patrolling the roundabout from 8 a.m. to late afternoon,” Ms. Redinger said. “They will be looking for speeding and for those who do not stop for students in the crosswalk.”
Ms. Redinger said there will be additional signage and lighting installed around the crosswalk as well.
Three videos were also produced concerning the roundabout.
Students in the Washington Local School district are now subject to a new cell phone policy.
Katie Peters, director of communications for Washington Local Schools, said the district will be implementing new enforcement of the existing cell phone/electronics policy.
Legislation unanimously passed in the Ohio General Assembly on May 8 requires each school board to adopt a cell phone policy by July, 2025.
The district has had an “off and away” policy in all schools. The policy will change at the junior high and high school level beginning Monday.
Every classroom will have a device pouch in the room where students will be expected to place their cell phones.
“Students were never to use their electronics [cell phones, earbuds and personal electronic devices] in classes, but now will be required to deposit them into classroom electronic holders upon classroom entry, where they will remain for the class period,” Ms. Peters wrote in an email. “They may still have and use the devices in the halls and cafeteria, just not during academic instruction.”
The district is hoping the policy enhances students’ social experiences as well.
“It is our desire that students not only absorb classroom learning better, but also have more opportunities to practice social skills that are difficult to hone when locked into a device,” Ms. Peters said.
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