Politics & Government
Lawmakers Get Firsthand Look At School Breakfast Program
State lawmakers from Salem and Peabody visited a Salem school to get a better understanding of the Breakfast After the Bell legislation.
SALEM, MA -- State Sen. Joan Lovely (D–Salem), along with State Rep. Paul Tucker (D–Salem) and Rep. Thomas Walsh (D–Peabody) were at the Carlton Innovation School in Salem Monday to better understand school breakfast programs as they prepare to vote on a bill that would change how those programs work. Under the bill proposed by Sen. Sal DiDomenico (D–Everett) and Rep. Aaron Vega (D–Holyoke), high-poverty Massachusetts schools would be required to serve breakfast after the start of the school day to increase program participation.
According to Rise and Shine Massachusetts, a coalition of food banks that supports the legislation, about 150,000 Massachusetts students qualify for free breakfast, but many do not take advantage because the meal is served before school starts. Similar legislation in other states has been shown to dramatically increase participation, in some cases bumping it from 45% to 85%.
The Carlton School already offers breakfast after school starts. Salem Superintendent Margarita Ruiz and staff members from the school district, the Greater Boston Food Bank and Project bread were on hand to outline the program for lawmakers. The bill was introduced last January and has been stalled in joint committee sessions since July.
Find out what's happening in Salemfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
A complete list of school districts that would be affected by the legislation is available on Massachusetts Risse & Shine's Website.
Subscribe to Salem Patch for more local news and real-time alerts.
Find out what's happening in Salemfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Photo by Salem Public Schools. From left to right: Catherine Drennan, The Greater Boston Food Bank; Rep. Paul Tucker (D – Salem); Salem Superintendent Margarita Ruiz; Deborah Jeffers, Salem school nutrition director; Patrice Toomey, Salem assistant school nutrition director; Pam Ryan, Carlton Elementary kitchen manager; Bethann Jellison, Carlton Elementary Principal; Senator Joan Lovely (D – Salem); Rep. Thomas Walsh (D – Peabody); Leran Minc, Project Bread.
Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
