ESCANABA — The Escanaba School Board approved extending the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program through 12th grade for the 2020-21 school year. In previous years students in kindergarten through eighth grade were given a free nutritional breakfast and lunch during school days, regardless of the family’s income. Now all students in the Escanaba school district, Learning Center, and Escanaba Student Success Center will receive a free breakfast and lunch.

Since the program started in Escanaba, Superintendent Coby Fletcher and Escanaba Director of Food Service Nancy LaFave have been working to find ways to offer the free meal program to students in all grades.

“We have taken advantage of the Community Eligibility Provision in grades K through eight, Student Success Center, and Learning Center, to provide kids with universal free breakfast and lunch,” said Fletcher. “We believe we have the numbers this year … to go K through 12 … nobody in the district will pay a cent for breakfast and lunch.”

The federally funded program, called CEP, uses the average income of families to determine what campuses are eligible, not individual family incomes. After hearing LaFave’s presentation the school board approved extending the program. The CEP aids Escanaba in providing free meals to students by reimbursing the district through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

In other business the school board:

— Named Escanaba High School senior Jenny Zhao as the 2020-21 Board of Education Student Representative.

— Reviewed and approved the 2020-21 school year calendar.The calendar shows regular school days and professional development days for teachers, as well as government added flex days.

— Approved Jilbert’s Dairy and Aunt Millie’s as the Escanaba School District’s milk and bakery providers, at the recommendation of LaFave.

— Approved the Escanaba Education Association tentative agreement for the 2020-21 school year. The tentative agreement made minor language changes for easier operation and a financial re-opener in October after the school district knows the state’s budget better.

— Received an update from Fletcher regarding school district instruction choices related to the COVID-19 pandemic going forward into the 2020-21 school year. After a second survey came back from families, administration contacted each responder.

Fletcher told the board there is a lot of background work being done because they want to get it right. He said other school districts are subcontracting online instruction to a third party.

“Any family that chooses that online option is going to have the education of their child subcontracted out to a third party provider,” said Fletcher. “… we as a district do not want to go that route. We feel like kids are going to get a better education in one of those remote settings if they’re getting their education with our staff fully involved. …We have the capacity and the talent in our district for our staff to provide those options to kids.”

Fletcher said that is why it has taken Escanaba a little bit longer to provide families with instruction information. Families will receive more information soon.

“We can do it right, here in Escanaba,” Fletcher said.

— Approved the hiring of Laurie Moberg as the director of the Escanaba Student Success Center, Kristen Occhietti as Title I teacher at the Upper Elementary, and Tara Strahl as a first grade teacher.

The next Escanaba School Board meeting will be a committee of the whole meeting and will be held Monday, Sept. 14 at 6 p.m., in the courtyard room of the Escanaba Upper Elementary school.