Rochester principal considers offering breakfast
Not every kid gets a good breakfast at home, so Principal Derek Medeiros is looking into offering it at Rochester Memorial School.
“What we’re planning to do is take this next month and look at the logistics,” Medeiros told the Rochester School Committee Thursday night.
Medeiros has already begun a preliminary conversation with the manager at the cafeteria and Food Service Director Caitlin Meagher.
“I’ve been encouraging the schools to look at this a long time,” said Committee Chair Sharon Hartley. “Even in a community like ours, you do not know what is going on in children’s lives.”
At present, Old Hammondtown School in Mattapoisett is the only elementary school in the tri-town that offers breakfast. The junior high and high schools also have breakfast.
Medeiros said students on free and reduced lunch would also be eligible for a free or reduced breakfast. As the idea is still in the early stages, Medeiros said there are a lot of questions to iron out, including whether the program would be offered to all students, if there is enough time for breakfast after the bus drop off, and whether it would be a sit down breakfast or "grab and go."
Medeiros said he will report back to the committee at its November meeting.