If you’ve been following the news, you’re most likely aware of the ongoing partial shutdown of the federal government. To some South Central School district residents, it’s more than a news story. As employees or contractors for the U.S. government, going without a paycheck is placing a real financial hardship on their families.
I wanted to take a moment to remind all South Central families about our free and reduced lunch program. Even a temporary impact setback to your income due to a furlough or layoff can qualify your child to participate. A family of four with a weekly income of $628 or less qualifies for free breakfast and lunch at school. A family of four with a weekly income of $890 or less qualifies for reduced-price breakfast and lunch.
The most important thing I want you to know is that both the application process and who is receiving free and reduced meals is confidential. To apply, all you need to do is fill out an application you can print it from the website or receive a copy from the school. In the cafeteria, no one knows who is on the free and reduced program and who is not. Every student receives the same meal options and every student simply punches in an assigned four-digit pin number to get their food.
Once qualified for the program, you’re qualified for the whole year, even when you go back to work – giving families a little bit of a financial cushion to help recover from those lost wages.
The food served in our school’s cafeterias includes nutritious foods made by our dedicated staff. We all know that a good, balanced meal helps us be at our best. We want every student to be able to get the nutrition he or she needs to grow, learn and succeed.
To apply for the free and reduced lunch program, just go to www.South-central.org and click on the FORMS tab at the left of the page to find the online application. If you have questions about the program, please call Food Services Director, Jeanine Wilhelm @ 419-752-0011. If your family is facing financial hardship for any reason, I urge you to apply or to contact Jeanine to learn more.
You’d never guess it, but used firehose is linking South Central Local Schools and EHOVE Career Center in a partnership for school safety.
South Central Superintendent Ben Chaffee, Jr. saw social media posts about how firehose pieces can be used to safely secure classroom doors from intruders. “I contacted Supervisor Charlie Warthling to see if EHOVE would be interested in assisting us with this endeavor. He, along with South Central SRO Deputy Mitchel Cawrse of the Huron County Sheriff Office, support this safety measure.”
Firehose can help secure a classroom door by being slipped over the metal bars of the door opener, a normal feature of a commercial door. Since firehose is made to withstand high water pressure, heat, and extensive wear-and-tear, it’s a great candidate for withstanding the stress of not allowing a door opener to do its job.
All of the firehose being used is industry-standard and originally utilized by area departments who later donate it to EHOVE’s Firefighter/EMT program. The students train with the firehose in everything from drills to live burns.
If a hose fails testing or is deemed no longer viable upon inspection, it is normally tagged as out of service and thrown away.
“We’re making the most of our resources with this initiative because the firehose can be recycled for this new purpose instead of being thrown away,” said Warthling. “It still has a very important role in safety, just in a new way.”
“School safety is always on my mind, and by incorporating these fire hoses as door closures, I believe it is just one more step, one more option, we are providing to our staff to help protect our students and keep them safe,” said Chaffee.