Governor's "Stay Home" order changing Detroit public school meal program for students

Detroit Public Schools Community District officials are changing the way the district provides free meals to children in response to the governor’s order to “stay at home” during the COVID-19 outbreak.

After the governor closed K-12 schools statewide starting on March 16^th, Detroit public school officials scrambled to provide daily meals to students who qualified for free breakfasts and lunches.    

Because of the district’s high free and reduced population (60% or more students), DPSCD is able to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which allows the district to offer 100% of its students a free meal.

With the governor’s order on Monday effectively shutting down most businesses in the state, district officials had to rethink their plan.

The district will now provide several days worth of pre-cooked breakfasts and lunches on Mondays and Thursdays, instead of daily meals, at 17 schools across the city.  

A district spokeswoman says the change will better protect the health of district employees.