Government has today (Thursday 26 March 2020) issued schools with updated guidance to help them operate the School Meals Programme amid the extended Covid-19 restrictions. 

This will ensure that nutritious food gets to many thousands of young people who need it the most. 

All schools are closed until 19th April at the earliest as part of further restrictions to limit the spread of infection.

The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs devised updated guidelines for the 1,580 schools and organisations in the programme as they set out to source and supply meals during the extended closures.

Schools are allowed to maintain the service during the Easter holidays and are asked to consider providing weekly boxes of non-perishable, nutritious goods.

Tusla Education Support Service will communicate with all Home School Community Liaison Coordinators and School Completion Programmes and ask staff in those services to liaise with principals where they work to ensure that children/families in need of the School Meals Programme are identified and supported.

Schools have also been advised that if their current provider is unavailable to continue the service they can look at other options, such as a local charity in the community providing food or meals or sourcing supplies from an alternative provider or retailer.

The Department has set out in the document 'School Meals Programme Guidance for Schools, a range of options open to schools to consider and identify the methods which works best for the school.
Options include:

Option 1: Delivery of food to central site (e.g. School Hall, Community Centre)
Option 2: Purchase food from a Wholesaler or Local Supermarket
Option 3: Link in with local charity or community group
Option 4: Pooling staff resources

View the full Guidance document here

Source:

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