HOUSTON – Houston Independent School District officials said big menu changes were all made in the best interest of the more than 200,000 students in the district.
The better the food, the better the performance in the classroom. School officials want parents to know if they qualify, their children can get free and reduced meal benefits with no stigma and no judgment.
"Parents, please understand it's a meal benefit someone is not trying to put a stigma on you. A meal benefit is a way of assuring that whether they are overburdenly needy they have the opportunity for their kids to have a free meal or a reduced meal," said HISD Nutrition Officer Bette Wiggins.
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Wiggins said this year's school menu has changed drastically. Executive Chef David Husbands is behind the delicious transformations, including everything from jicama sticks with seasoning, meat and cheese tamales with fresh broccoli and creamed corn, to kale and fruit smoothies and roasted red pepper and tomato soup with garlic toast.
"I think putting this healthy food on their plate is going to help them out a lot in life and hopefully they'll learn a lot from it," Husbands said.
Children whose families qualify can get these great meals at little or no cost, Wiggins said. There is no lunch shaming here, it's about educating parents. There is no stigma that comes with the meal benefits, he said. He encourages parents to not let their child stand in line not knowing if they will be able to eat. Wiggins said the meals program doesn't just support the children, it helps support the parents too.
"The whole thing of supporting academic achievement. What can we do to make sure our kids are better in the classroom? To make sure every last one of them, all 218,000 of them, are entering the classroom ready to learn," Wiggins said.
The school offers a free breakfast program. Another addition a lot of families don't know about is a free supper program for all after school activities, which offers free family homestyle meals for kids who are heading home late.
To sign up for meal benefits, parents will need to fill out the form online or at the school's front office. Your child's school will notify you if your child qualifies.