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Elgin schools offer free meals to children

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Although the schools are shut down for at least the next couple of weeks, the Elgin Independent School District is still providing meals to school-aged children.

According to letters addressed to parents on Saturday, Elgin ISD’s Child Nutrition Department began preparing and distributing meals for children 18 years old or younger beginning this Tuesday. The service is scheduled to continue through April 3; however, if schools remain closed beyond April 3, the school district is committed to providing meals until schools reopen, according to the district.

Each child can receive one breakfast and one lunch each day. Due to federal regulations, meals cannot be given to adults without children present. Each meal will be available at no charge, regardless of meal eligibility status.

Meals will be distributed from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. each day at one “grab-and-go” location and 13 bus delivery sites. Curbside meals will be distributed at Elgin Elementary School, while meals will be delivered by Elgin ISD buses at the following locations:

  • 11801 Edward Street
  • 17803 Prairie Verbena Lane
  • 13548 Western Sky Boulevard
  • 13700 County Line Road
  • 1351 North Avenue C
  • 282 New Trail
  • 510 Martin Luther King Boulevard
  • 104 Old Sayers Road
  • 485 Highway 290
  • 149 Lacy Drive
  • 139 Old Lexington Road
  • 2425 Farm-to-Market Road 1704
  • 1494 South Webberwood Way

Statewide, the Texas Education Agency is helping families find free school meals near them. The website for searching their A-F school accountability grades, txschools.gov, has added a link to a website that searches for meal sites while schools are closed. The site currently shows data for Louisiana, Tennessee, Virginia and parts of California and Alabama, in addition to Texas.

One of the letters, from Elgin ISD Superintendent Jodi Duron to parents, also included more updates from the school district.

Duron’s letter warned to be prepared for the possibility of an extended closure, but said the district is continuing to monitor and evaluate the situation.

According to the letter, each family would have received a call on Monday from a teacher to gather information and assess the needs of the district’s students. Staff and materials are being prepared this week for remote teaching, learning and working; remote learning and instruction for students begins on March 30.

Since the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) have been canceled this year, Elgin ISD’s letter said local discretion will determine if a student should advance to the next grade level. The criteria include the recommendation of the student’s teacher, the student’s grade in each subject or course, and any other necessary academic information determined by the district.

Although most seniors have already taken all of their necessary end-of-course assessments, students who are still working to meet assessment graduation requirements as seniors this year will have their requirements for graduating based on academic assessments waived for spring 2020.

The letter added that the district will determine at a later date whether graduation celebrations will be held as scheduled.

“Thank you for your support and efforts during these unprecedented times,” Duron’s letter concludes. “By working together, in the best interest of our children, we can overcome the challenges in front of us. Remember, we are stronger together!”