By Nathan Prewett
LEEDS — At a regular meeting of the Leeds Board of Education on Tuesday, Nov. 13, board members discussed implementing an after school supper program for students.
Leeds City Schools Director of Child Nutrition, Anita Carlisle, gave a presentation in which she said the after school supper program would meet the needs of students who don’t receive meals after school, although the program would be open to all students.
Carlisle said that one in five students doesn’t have meals after school, according to Red Cross. With the program, Carlisle hopes to be able to serve meals beginning with the primary and elementary schools in December and then to the high and middle schools, next year.
“Whether we want to verbally admit it or not, we do have some of those ‘one in five kids’ that go home and don’t get anything to eat, so this program will definitely meet the needs of those kids, but it will meet the needs of all of our kids because this is going to be open to everyone,” Carlisle told the board.
The Leeds Board of Education met on Tuesday night for a regular session. Photo by Nathan Prewett.
Meals are free but would have to be consumed on campus after classes are dismissed and in conjunction with enrichment activities such as puzzles or educational videos playing, she said.
The meals will be similar to the current lunch program in serving food in all five food groups but most in the after school program will be pre-packaged. Carlisle said that nine employees from the Alabama Child Nutrition Program are on board to prepare and serve meals.
Carlisle hopes to start on Dec. 4 , at Leeds primary and elementary schools. She said that an application was sent to the Alabama State Department of Education Child and Adult Food Care, which approved her to begin serving meals next month.
Officials from the state department will be present at the schools to observe the program before they approve the application.
In other business, the board approved Superintendent John Moore’s recommendation to approve a service contract with Milestones Behavior Group and his recommendation to approve to adopt the 2020-2021 calendar.
The next Leeds Board of Education meeting will take place at 6 p.m. in the library of Leeds Middle School on Dec. 10.
