Jaylenn Rivera, a junior at the Juanita Sanchez Educational Complex in the Providence Public School District, says lunch is usually the same. Cheeseburgers. Pizza. Sandwiches. “Recently, they’re always doing, for some reason, nachos 24/7,” she added.
While Rivera doesn’t particularly love the menu, at least it’s free. “If you’re hungry, obviously, you’re gonna eat it,” they said.
While the PPSD provides universal free breakfast and lunch, efforts to bring healthy school meals to all students in the rest of the state are still underway. All other Rhode Island schools offer free or reduced lunch plans to students who qualify, but applications can create barriers for students who are not eligible but still are food insecure, according to the National Education Association of Rhode Island, a statewide educators’ union and professional group with over 12,000 members…