Thursday, August 9, 2018

Stale Breakfast

"Boston makes little progress on school breakfast goal" by James Vaznis Globe Staff  May 03, 2018

Boston Superintendent Tommy Chang promised last September to nearly triple the number of schools that would provide free breakfasts in classrooms — a critical intervention in a city where hunger afflicts many students and can hurt academic achievement, but a report being issued Thursday found that Boston has made nearly no headway in achieving the goal, as slightly fewer than half of the system’s approximately 55,000 students are eating breakfasts in class.

???????? 

In Bo$ton? 

No wonder you kids are falling behind.

The stagnation in Boston is representative of a potential statewide problem in addressing student hunger and poor nutrition: After a decadelong push to get more schools to offer breakfasts in classrooms, only 53 percent of students in high-poverty districts are consuming the early morning meals.

That means 153,000 other students are going without, according to the report.

This was after they already expanded it, and don't you get sick of such slop?

“We are pretty concerned we are approaching a plateau,” said Andrea Silbert, president of the Eos Foundation, a Boston nonprofit that issued the report, titled Ending Hunger in Our Classrooms. “Schools are often resistant to change. But once schools do breakfast in the classroom, they wonder why they waited so long.”

Why did Syria just skip through my mind?

When schools offer breakfast in the classroom, student participation usually soars. Students are able to munch away on a muffin, a piece of fruit, cereal, or other food while getting settled into their morning routine and doing some school work.

By contrast, when breakfast is offered only in a cafeteria before school begins, many students end up missing it because they are running late. That can be a big problem in Boston where school buses can run behind schedule.

Not only do they run behind schedule, it's actually resegregating the schools -- right down to the cafeteria tables.

And at a time when schools take on many new initiatives without receiving any money from the state or federal governments to pay for them, the breakfast in the classroom programs can generate money for school systems.

That is where the turn-in comes, and I'm crying in my bowl of milk. 

Getting beyond the making money motive underlying the looking out for you kids and your health altruism, one wonders WhereTF has all the money gone all these years? Schools are falling apart, fountains have lead in the pipes, and yet somehow all the money seems to disappear somewhere. 

You wanna keep eating?

That’s because the federal government reimburses schools for each breakfast they serve, often creating enough cash so school systems can replace kitchen equipment, buy new cafeteria furniture, or make other related purchases.

I know it comes rolling off a Federal Re$erve pre$$ with interest attached, but those debts have to be paid some day, on the backs of the very needs they claim to be feeding. The pre$$ makes it sound like the cash was created out of thin air (that's what is behind the carbon tax, btw). 

The production costs of breakfasts are generally lower than hot lunches. The meals include such items as milk, fruit, yogurt, cereal, muffins, and sometimes hot items like egg sandwiches or pancakes. 

Out of milk today?

Of the 638 high-poverty schools in the state, only 215 provide breakfast in the classroom. If every school participated and at least 80 percent of the students ate breakfast, the schools could receive $32 million combined in federal reimbursements.

A bill is pending on Beacon Hill that would require high-poverty schools to provide breakfast after the opening bell.

They let you go hungry before going on vacation!!

Meanwhile, the stalled effort came amid other changes to the school system’s food program that has generated more success. Namely, the school system brought in a new food vendor that is providing fresh lunches to students who previously received frozen dinners and it has been working with another organization to install kitchens and cook fresh meals at schools that were built decades ago without cafeterias.

When you used to have to bring your own lunch.

Chang said the system remains committed to expanding breakfast in the classroom.

“Ultimately, the goal is to make sure kids are eating,” he said.

Does it matter what?

“They are more prepared physically and mentally (if they eat), and we want them to get high quality food. I’m optimistic we can figure this out.”

Oh, okay, and what is so hard about getting kids a plate of food, really?

All I know is my stomach is rumbling and “I need some fast food in my belly.”

--more--"

Did you see who had his hand out?

Looks like breakfa$t is on him!

Also see: Suit calls St. Paul’s ‘haven’ for predators

That will certainly make you lose your appetite. 

One was even a trailblazing Congre$$man!

Where is the bathroom anyway?

An electrician working at a Foxborough day care allegedly installed a pen-like camera in the adult bathroom of the center, where it was discovered by a staffer, triggering an investigation by Foxborough police. Darin McNeil, 48, of Taunton was arrested while he was working at the day-care center after police allegedly determined he was the person who placed the camera inside the bathroom, which was designated for use by adults, not children. He was charged with unlawful wiretap, possessing a device for wiretap, and attempting to commit a crime to wit secret sexual surveillance, Foxborough police said in a statement. At his arraignment in Wrentham District Court, McNeil pleaded not guilty to all charges, according to police. He was released on $2,500 cash bail with the condition that he avoid contact with all children and stay away from staff and children at the day care, according to police......"

Be sure to flush.

I would stay away from the library, too.