Meal Services

Regardless of our instructional delivery model, meal services will continue to be provided to students. Please see below for a breakdown of how it will look in each of the three models. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact Beth Pratt, our Food Services Director.

Free School Meals for All Students During the 2020-2021 School Year

Free school meals for everyone! Have your students visit their school cafeterias or sign up to order meals for days your students are not in school, including weekends!

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Meal Services During Instructional Modes

In-Person

Students in all schools will eat breakfast and lunch using a cafeteria pick-up model. For breakfast, students will report directly to the cafeteria upon arrival at school, purchase their meal and eat in the cafeteria with socially distanced seating. At lunch, students will come to the cafeteria service line in their cohorts in small staggered waves. Plexiglass and spacing decals will be used in the serving line. Students will eat with socially distanced seating within their cohorts in the cafeteria and alternate spaces as much as possible. Weather permitting, schools with outside seating capability may be able to move some tables outside to improve social distance seating and reduce the number of students in the cafeteria. Cafeteria/group seating should be maintained with a goal of 50% of capacity.

Hybrid

While in person...

Meal distribution method(s) for students while in school: Regular meal pricing will apply. Parents are encouraged to apply for meal benefits.

Onsite Lunches: Students in all schools K-12 will eat using a cafeteria pick-up model with students coming to the cafeteria service line in their cohorts in small staggered waves. Students will eat with social distanced seating within their cohorts in the cafeteria and alternate large spaces. Weather permitting, schools with outside seating capability may be able to move some tables outside to improve social distance seating and reduce the number of students in the cafeteria. Cafeteria/group seating should be maintained with a goal of 50% of capacity.
- Ensures better meal accountability
- Alleviates some custodial issues with classroom waste/clean-up
- Allow greater variety of meal choices and greatly reduce waste associated with pre-plated meals
- A small selection of a-la-carte items can be available at select Point of Sale (POS) stations for purchase upon request to help alleviate the financial impact of Covid-19.
- Plexiglass will be installed on all serving lines and POS stations
- 6’ distancing lines or markers will be placed in areas as needed
Breakfast Service: Students will report directly to the kitchen upon arrival at school to purchase breakfast. Students will eat breakfast with social distanced seating in the cafeteria.

School Food Service Reopen Plans

For Remote Learning...

Hybrid Meal Service Model: Regular meal pricing will apply. Parents are encouraged to apply for meal benefits.

If students are attending school on alternate days (A-K, L-Z model) students will be fed in accordance to the full return to school model on days they are attending school. A dismissal time distribution of a breakfast and lunch meal for students not attending school the following day will need to be provided. Staff will be scheduled to accommodate simultaneous operation of congregate and non-congregate meal service and ensure the social distancing of staff. Food, equipment and supplies, and storage space is being evaluated to ensure sufficiency.

Distance Learning Families: Families who opt to distance learn despite a full reopening or hybrid plan will still be provided the opportunity to pick up meals for the school children. Pick up times and locations will be determined by the number of students participating and which school they attend.

Remote

Under the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs students enrolled in Coventry schools are eligible for the Full Closure Meal Service Model. Parents are encouraged to apply for meal benefits. The distribution site for pick-up and take home meals will continue at Capt. Nathan Hale School. Meals will be served twice a week from 11:00 - 12:00 on the following schedule:

Monday - pick up breakfast and lunch for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
Thursday - pick up breakfast and lunch for Thursday and Friday

If the USDA allows schools to continue operating under the Seamless Summer Option (SSO), all meals will continue at no cost on a three day pick up option.

Monday - pick up breakfast and lunch for Monday and Tuesday
Wednesday - pick up breakfast and lunch for Wednesday and Thursday
Friday - pick up breakfast and lunch for Friday, Saturday and Sunday

Families will be updated by food services regarding the available options. Meals for non-pickup days will either be a cold entrée (deli sandwich) or will come fully cooked and ready for you to reheat at home. Please follow the instructions included in your meals regarding safe refrigeration, reheating and storage of food. All lunches include a serving of fruit, serving of vegetables, and a carton of milk. Included in each meal will be a breakfast which contains assorted pastry, fruit and/or juice and a carton of milk. Families will preorder using a meal order form.