Meal program, assignment updates provided
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced Monday afternoon an extension to the closure of schools around the state through the end of the month as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following the announcement, area school districts also are providing updates regarding their remote learning assignments, along with their meal programs offered to pupils.
In a partnership with the Second Harvest Food Bank, Benjamin Logan Schools has implemented a new method of providing meals to students starting last week “to better protect our staff, students and their families,” school officials stated.
A weekly meal pick up takes place on the school campus Thursdays, including today, between the hours of 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
Participants are asked to stay in their vehicles during the meal pickup procedures. They should enter the bus circle from the Benjamin Logan High School side off of State Route 47, and then continue to the front entrance of Benjamin Logan Middle School.
“We will meet your vehicle curbside in front of the Middle School,” school officials said. “You will then continue on and loop around and exit out onto County Road 26.”
Participants will be provided with a full week’s worth of meals at a time, which may include milk and eggs, pending availability, through the Second Harvest Food Bank, a United Way of Logan County funded agency.
For additional assistance regarding the meal pick ups, contact Jann McBrien at (937) 593-9211 ext. 1007 or [email protected]
Online assignments for all Benjamin Logan students in grades kindergarten through 12 are available at the school’s website, www.benlogan.k12.oh.us.
In addition to its online learning platforms, Bellefontaine City Schools today, Thursday, April 2, is offering for families to pick up paper copies of assignments at each of the school buildings from 8 a.m. to noon and 2 to 6 p.m.
Families are asked to send only one person into the building. Assignments will be available at the Bellefontaine Elementary main entrance atrium, Bellefontaine Intermediate School main entrance (on the steps) along Williams Street, Bellefontaine Middle School main entrance atrium and the Bellefontaine High School cafeteria.
For the BCS meal program, the district is continuing to deliver lunches to five drop-off locations between 11 a.m. and noon Monday through Friday. The meal sites are: Brookstone Apartments, Heritage Court, Red Bud Apartments, Southern Meadows and Union Station; Lutheran Community Services, 223 Oakland Square, Bellefontaine, also providing a daily hot meals for students living in the vicinity from 10:30 a.m. to noon and 4:15 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, with a sack lunch is available between 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Additionally for Indian Lake Schools’ meal program, the district has started delivering meals via school buses to families on Mondays and Thursdays only to limit virus exposure for staff members. Students will receive breakfast and lunches on Monday for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The buses will run again on Thursday and deliver breakfasts and lunches for Thursday and Friday.
Indian Lake school offices are open and can be reached between the hours of 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. with specific questions.
“In addition, please encourage your children to continue doing their work and communicating with teachers during the normal ‘school day’ hours,” Indian Lake officials said.
Riverside Local Schools is continuing to provide lunches at 11 a.m. with buses parked at: American Legion in DeGraff, Cornish Drive and Miller Street in DeGraff, Mead and Humble drives in DeGraff, the Quincy United Methodist Church and Quincy Ball Park.
If needed, delivery of lunches will be made available via school vans and a bus, call the school office to set up a provided lunch at (937) 585-5981 ext. 4310 or 4300 and leave a message with your name, address, number of meals needed and if you need it delivered or you will pick up.
With the extension of the school closure through May 1, West Liberty-Salem Schools Superintendent Kraig Hissong thanked families via the district’s website for all of their work in recent weeks, and encouraged them to keep in communication with their children’s teachers.
“I want to thank all our parents and students for your flexibility and understanding during this period of social distancing.
“No one signed up for schooling at home, but we are committed to making the best of this for our students and families. Communication will be very important.
“Please make sure, if you have not done so, to review information your child’s teacher has provided on how and when to communicate. In most cases either Seesaw or Schoology will be the educational platform used to provide assignments and to return work electronically.”
Hissong also said school office staff can be reached by phone from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. All families are discouraged from reporting to the school unless directed by a teacher or by appointment.
For student meals, West Liberty-Salem buses are delivering sack lunches to student residences between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. weekdays. Meals should be ordered in advance by 9 a.m. daily or for the week by calling (937) 465-1060 x101, 102, or 103, or e-mail [email protected] or [email protected].
For those on the free lunch program, lunch is free. Reduced lunch will cost 40 cents. If you wish to purchase a lunch, the full price cost is $3. Students’ accounts can be used to pay for the meals.
Students may receive their meals either at home or at a babysitter’s residence if they are at an existing stop along a district bus route.
Riverside Schools Athletic Director and retired teacher Rod Yoder pushes trays of student meals toward a bus for the district’s weekday meal program during the coronavirus shutdown. (RIVERSIDE SCHOOLS PHOTO)
An example of a Benjamin Logan weekly meal box provided by Second Harvest Food Bank during Thursday distributions at Benjamin Logan Middle School. (BENJAMIN LOGAN SCHOOLS PHOTO)