Being fed in school is a right, not a privilege. This is the standard that The Current has been advocating for. Following my first article, I can proudly say that we are starting to achieve this.

Thanks to a new national program, Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), being implemented by the county, Watkins Mill High School and John F. Kennedy High School are the only high schools amongst the 58 MCPS schools that will operate under the CEP program which grants free lunch for all students regardless of Free and Reduced-price Meals (FARMS) eligibility. This is an amazing opportunity for everyone because there are many factors that go into lunch. It’s not just about food or making sure you’re not hungry, lunch does so much more for people. 

For example, there are numerous students in our community who work long hours and may not be able to eat when they get home from work. Having the free breakfast and lunch at least provides two of their meals worry-free. This could allow them to focus more on other pressing issues like school work or family problems. 

“It’s a pretty amazing program,” principal Vilma Nájera said. “As a result, our breakfast numbers have gone up, and the number of students eating school lunch has increased by 80 to 100 students.”

Another big factor in our community is our diverse student population. There are many students from abroad who come here for school and work to support their family back home financially. By having a free breakfast and lunch program, they have one less thing to worry about. No child should have to take on adult responsibilities on top of their school life.

Considering that almost a third of our student population at WMHS is English Language Development students, this CEP program saves families the stress of filing for other free food eligibility programs. There are other students that may not qualify for FARMS but are still in need of this program so this is a step forward in the right direction.

Overall, the new breakfast and lunch program is the perfect addition to MCPS. We at The Current will continue to support such things and give credit where it is due. Thanks and amazing job to everyone who made this happen!