CHESHIRE, Mass. — Adams-Cheshire Regional School District staff and School Committee members have deemed the C.T. Plunkett Breakfast in the Classroom program a success. 

 

Food Service Director Rosanne Schutz told the committee Monday that the grant-funded program that lets students eat breakfast in the classroom has increased the number of students eating breakfast in school by nearly 200 percent. 

 

"Today breakfast participation is 91 percent, and in the year before breakfast participation was 30 to 33 percent in Plunkett," Schutz said. "It is going very well."

 

Because of the number of low-income students that attend C.T. Plunkett, Schutz was able to apply for grants that would allow all students to receive free breakfast and lunch. She also applied for grants that funded equipment, extra staff and additional supplies that allow students to eat breakfast right in the classroom.

 

"Breakfast runs from 8:15 to 8:30 and the kids are spot on with eating because the doors open at 8:10 and the kids go right up to their homeroom," she said. "I try to poke my head into the classrooms to see how it is going and it gets better every day ... the kids are helping themselves and they know the routine."

 

She said many children avoided breakfast in the past because the cafeteria was often noisy in the morning. She added that the 10 percent or so who do not eat breakfast opt out, are absent or have eaten at home.

 

Although too early to note the impacts, the nurse has reported less food-related visits and teachers have commented that pupils have more energy.

 

Schutz said the children get to choose their meal and anything they don't want goes into a "share bucket."  Students can pick from the "share bucket" throughout the day and bring home what is left over.

 

The School Committee asked if the program could be extended to other schools. Schutz said at the moment only Plunkett and Head Start can apply for the program but it may be possible to bring it into the other buildings.

 

The committee members thanked Schutz for bringing the program to the district.

 

"It is really tremendous ... and I want to applaud you for it because no child should start the day hungry," member Edmund St. John IV said.

 

Superintendent Robert Putnam said both Plunkett and Cheshire Elementary School have unrepairable handicapped lifts.

 

He said the Plunkett lift from the hallway onto the stage has not worked for some time now and it was recently inspected by the Department of Public Safety and cited. The lift was installed in 2000 but was never inspected.

 

He said the citation carries a $200 a day fine with a maximum of $20,000 that will not be imposed if the lift is removed or replaced.

 

Putnam said he has requested quotes from lift carriers Bay State Elevator and Graventa.

 

As for Cheshire, the ramp that allows access to the older part of the school broke down over the summer and a repair looks to be impossible.

 

"Several visits from Graventa have failed to restore it to working order due to the age of the unit and the lack of available parts," Putnam said. "Graventa left today and said everything he has tried has failed ... it appears as though repair is impossible."

 

Putnam said he also requested quotes for this lift.

 

Because of this impending cost, Putnam said he is wary about hiring more custodial staff for Hoosac Valley High School. The custodial staff was cut down by two part-time workers and they have yet to be replaced.

 

The School Committee approved a Hoosac Valley trip to England and Scotland for 2018. Hoosac Valley Dean of Students Colleen Byrd said the trip would be over April vacation and 58 students have shown interest.