Feeding students can be a logistical challenge even under normal circumstances. As the coronavirus pandemic has forced schools to close or operate modified schedules, food service directors are running multiple programs to meet students’ needs — curbside pickup, on-site meals in classrooms and gymnasiums and packaged items to take home for “off days” in a hybrid model.

At the Shenendehowa Central School District in Clifton Park, New York, once-bustling cafeterias only seat a fraction of the district’s 10,000 students across 13 school buildings. Grades 7 to 12 are operating on a hybrid schedule, while K-6 students attend five days a week.

Once the source for preparation and distribution, the Shenendehowa Central cafeterias have transitioned to unconventional delivery methods. Food is dropped off outside elementary classroom doors. Multiple food stations are scattered throughout middle and high school buildings, limiting the number of students picking up food before returning to their desks to eat.

Social distancing is further accommodated in gymnasiums with desks spaced six feet apart and numbered, both to deliver the meal ordered and for contact tracing.

“All the food is prepackaged with plastic wrap or in plastic to-go containers, and cups with lids are for safety precautions and to limit spills in untraditional eating spaces,” said Katy Headwell, the district’s food service director.

Research has shown the link between lunches and academic and social success in school. With food insecurity increasing and the challenges of rapidly changing school environments, school leaders and food service directors alike are redesigning cafeteria programs to continue feeding students.

Read the full article about navigating meal logistics by Katie Navarra at Education Dive.