In an email on March 20, FCPS announced that breakfast would be free in all schools, assuming students take a fruit or vegetable, from May to the end of the 2023-2024 school year. With free breakfast, the county will provide nutrition to FCPS students, improving their mornings and performance. According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine, with access to nutritional meals in the morning, students’ cognitive performance in classrooms improved.
The change comes after the Free/Reduced Lunch program was updated to only offer deals to those who qualify through an application online. Federal grants for the program ended in the 2022-2023 school year, and, despite generous donations, the county explained, “We will not be in a position to clear out charges at the end of the school year.”
Speaking on the new breakfast program, FCPS Director of School Nutrition SueAnn Fox explained, “We took into consideration the increase that we experienced during the pandemic when meals were again offered at no cost and feel comfortable that we will be able to cover the associated cost of offering this benefit to our students.” According to Fox, the choice to cover breakfast expenses was based on how long the budget could cover the costs of meals. While breakfasts could be covered from May to the end of the school year, lunches could only afford “11 to possibly 15 days because of the additional cost to provide lunch.” Therefore, despite no longer covering the cost of lunches for all students, FCPS have found a way to still offer nutritional support to the students.
