Osceola County is discontinuing the meal distribution program it used to provide free breakfasts and lunches to students during the coronavirus pandemic Thursday.
The district has served some 300,000 meals since mid-March.
Judith Gordon Director of School Nutrition Services in Osceola County says closing the program now will allow staff to prepare for the upcoming school year.
Gordon says they’ll resume serving students in cafeterias who opt for in-person learning on August 24th.
But she says they’re still figuring out how to get food to students who choose to continue with online learning.
“We’re talking to many different other counties. Kind of working together, seeing what works best, fits for our district here while meeting regulations and student population need.”
Gordon says the demand for food has decreased since the start of the pandemic. She says they saw some 24,000 families at distribution sites in July compared to 100,000 in April and May.
"June it was almost half of what was at the highest number so it has significantly decreased."
Osceola County Schools will resume with three options for learning including virtual school, in-person or virtual learning.
Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran has required public K-12 schools in the state to open brick-and-mortar classrooms five days a week starting next month.
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