Two aerialists fly on trapezes above their only safety net: an Uncrustables sandwich provided by the Clarke County School District. Students of the CCSD depend on the school district for food, even when school is not in session. Graphic by Emma Scott
The devastating COVID-19 national emergency has highlighted child food insecurity in Athens and the school district’s role in addressing this issue. This crisis should be what motivates Athenians to mobilize and create a society that recognizes everyone’s fundamental right to food.
Since school closures due to COVID-19, the Clarke County School District has worked to provide two meals per day per student. According to the CCSD Facebook page, the week of March 27, over 30,000 meals were distributed.
Stations around Athens operated by the CCSD and other small organizations are open at various times throughout each month. While these can be temporarily helpful for those who can reach the locations, this is not a sustainable solution to Athens’s food insecurity.
When it became evident that school closures would be extended, there was a change of policy. As of April 2, the CCSD has provided, through volunteer-based “drive-thru” operations, two boxes per week of ingredients for meals for families in the CCSD whose children rely on school as their food source.
This brings to light an important issue in the community. Athens’ extremely high poverty rates mean that more than 31% of people in Athens have no financial safety net. CCSD Meals for Students is the only program that is available for all children in the school district to fall back on for their nutritional needs.
Children should have access to food whether or not they are at school. School district employees should not be responsible for ensuring that children’s right to food is fulfilled.
Children should have access to food whether or not they are at school. School district employees should not be responsible for ensuring that children’s right to food is fulfilled.
The CCSD is eligible for the Community Eligibility Provision, a federal program through the United States Department of Agriculture that provides free school meals for students, based on poverty indicators in at least 40% of the district. The CEP expires this fiscal year, and there was uncertainty as to whether the district would qualify again. Even though poverty rates had stayed constant, the unemployment rate had dropped since initial eligibility in 2015.
Now, all of that data has changed.
Georgia’s shelter in place order has meant that unemployment claims have gone through the roof with a 300% jump in one week, according to the Georgia Department of Labor. A silver lining to the devastation might be another five years of the CEP.
The CCSD should be applauded for providing meals to half of the school district and switching from two meals per child every day to a more manageable two boxes of ingredients per family per week. However, this effort requires staffing to run the complicated system.
In a district-wide email, Interim Superintendent Dr. Xernona Thomas asked classified (uncertified) employees, such as custodial staff and substitute teachers who were able, to volunteer to serve meals at “drive-thru” operations.
An email from Dr. Xernona Thomas shows that the school knows that they are responsible for the nutritional needs of many of the district’s students. District employees are expected to have an excuse for being unable to volunteer.
Despite having a wealth of volunteers, Thomas reiterated that this is a desperate time and staffing is needed.
“If we do not get enough volunteers, we will assign the needed personnel,” Thomas said. “It is a tremendous opportunity to serve our students and feel like you are part of a solution.”
The school district’s responsibility to feed its students raises the possibility that CCSD employees, all of whom are still being paid, will work in a potentially dangerous environment and risk transmission of COVID-19.
Athenians should be proud of the CCSD’s volunteers and all of the hard work that has been done to keep families safe and fed during this crisis, but something more should come out of this. Instead of just trying to get through this period, the Athens community needs problem solvers and political mobilization.
Instead of just trying to get through this period, the Athens community needs problem solvers and political mobilization.
An international emergency might be what it takes to ensure free meals for children in the CCSD for the next five years with the CEP. But despite changing poverty metrics, children should not have to rely on their school for food.
According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, food is a fundamental human right. The fact that the school district has to organize ways to get food to an average of 962.1 CCSD students per day in the first place shows that our society is not structured to ensure this right.
This crisis, with millions of people stuck at home in precarious situations, could be the catalyst that finally gives people the political will to solve a problem that has been looming over the Athens community.
But frustration, contemplation and discussion do not equal action. Those who regularly find food in their pantries and are privileged enough to use this time to catch up on Netflix shows should consider those who can barely scrape by when they vote.
Because the CCSD primarily provides food for students, even in the summer with the Seamless Summer program, there is not much Athenians can do locally other than donating to or volunteering at food banks, most of which are stationed in churches or restaurants around Athens and are open one-three days per week, but are difficult for many families to get to. This small-scale help is good, but it is temporary and also dependent on staffing.
Policy is the only way to create long-term change. Spain has recently passed a permanent Universal Basic Income after realizing that the pandemic has made it difficult for citizens to get by.
Until the Georgia legislature realizes that children should have access to food regardless of school enrollment, socioeconomic and immigration status, the only options for the hungry will be a patchwork of good intentions that do not make a large dent.
Until the Georgia legislature realizes that children should have access to food regardless of school enrollment, socioeconomic and immigration status, the only options for the hungry will be a patchwork of good intentions that do not make a large dent.
Even after COVID-19 has passed, Athenians and Georgians need to bring awareness to this issue and focus on large-scale solutions.
