DISD Students Eat Dinner At School
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A long day at school, plus an after school program leaves children in need of a balanced meal to end the school day.
For the eight-thousand DISD students, a full meal after school is part of the district's expanded After School Meal Program.
Just after three at Highland Meadows Elementary "supper" is served to the fifty plus students in their after school program.
Students like the idea of an additional school meal. It helps them stay full longer and they enjoy the fruits and vegetables served.
Many students spend an extra 2-3 hours on campus with tutoring, exercise and after school enrichment. The lack of a full meal in that time span makes an impact according to school nutritionists. Many feel children need a balanced meal after school.
Dora Rivas, director of food and child nutrition for DISD says there is a need to provide nourishment, "Some kids eat lunch as early as 10:30. We want to be able to give all our students the greatest opportunity to learn and be successful in life, and nutrition is a part of that."
In addition to Dallas, students in North Texas schools in Fort Worth, Irving and Richardson eat meals at school. In many families dinner is a meal served before the child gets home.
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