# @edutopia on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CG2nTcnAZSo
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/20304216-edutopia-instagram
- **Posted:** 2020-10-27T16:16:20.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Edutopia (@edutopia) — https://gondola.cc/edutopia

## Caption

One more casualty of the pandemic—millions of vulnerable children lost access to healthy school meals. Between March 2 and May 1, over a billion school meals were left unserved, according to a new study from the American Journal of Public Health. 

In previous years, schools served an average of 45 million meals daily to students at low or no cost. Access to these meals, which play a vital role in addressing the equity gap between students, was severely disrupted when schools closed across the country.

“Missed meals may have a significant impact on children’s health, nutrition, and food security,” said the research scientists. “Such consequences are likely to be magnified among low-income, Black, and Hispanic children who are already at greater risk for poor physical and mental health and worse academic performance than their higher-income and White counterparts.”

But the researchers also highlight the ways in which schools have risen to meet the challenge. Some school districts responded with innovative solutions such as offering meals seven days per week, creating “grab-and-go” meal stations in outdoor locations, or sending a full week’s worth of meals directly to student homes.

Despite those extraordinary efforts, a large gap remained between the number of meals fulfilled before and during the pandemic—one that’s reminiscent of the gap in WiFi coverage for poorer students—underscoring yet again that educators are shouldering burdens that are simply beyond the scope of their abilities. School systems need more funding for professional development, technology infrastructure, mental health services, and teacher pay—and in times of emergency, they need access to the vast resources that can only be marshalled by state and federal agencies.

To see the study, go here: https://edut.to/3jilW6c

#EducationResearch #EducationData #SchoolMeals #PublicHealth

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## Tags

publichealth, schoolmeals, educationresearch, educationdata

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