M-DCPS Announces Meal Distribution Changes And Increases To Student Meals

From the Miami-Dade County Public Schools:

February 5, 2021

Starting next week, Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) will consolidate its meal
distributions for remote learners to once per week. Meals will be distributed on Thursdays,
from 4 – 5:30 p.m., and will consist of bulk food items equaling 21 meals per student per pick up - seven breakfast, seven lunch and seven after-school meals.

The change to the once-a-week allocation will result in a larger amount of food
being provided per student/per parent pick-up as well as save time for parents.

Last November, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it would extend the summer meals flexibility waiver, allowing M-DCPS to continue to serve free meals to all children
throughout the entire 2020-2021 school year.

The USDA requires that parents/adults provide proof of valid identification that the meal is for a child 18 years old or younger, if the child does not accompany them to the distribution.
Identification can include a student ID, report card or progress report. These are the same guidelines that were followed during M-DCPS’ summer meal distributions.

M-DCPS has not wavered in its commitment to support students and families. To date, the
District has provided over 16 million meals to students at no cost.

This press release was produced by the Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.