LITTLE EGG HARBOR – Students who qualify for free or reduced lunch during the school year can also get them during the summer, however an official is concerned about families’ privacy in the matter.
At a recent Board of Education meeting, board member Christine Snyder asked, “Who can I contact at the state level to try to change the summer lunch program so that students in need can receive it rather than to have to come here and publicly display that they’re in need of food for their child to have food at lunchtime, and then go back to whatever they’re doing.”
She added that the question could be posed through the New Jersey School Boards Association.
“It’s just not right to put people on display because they’re in need of food,” she said.
The district states in a web post entitled “Summer EBT Information,” that the State of New Jersey has expanded its summer EBT program, allowing more families to qualify for these benefits.
The web post states, “In order to be eligible to receive EBT benefits, you must have submitted a qualifying Free and Reduced Lunch Application for the 2025-2026 School Year.”
On Thursday, June 18, Governor Mikie Sherrill signed legislation to ensure information about free and reduced price school meals are featured prominently on every school’s website, according to a press release.
“The legislation (A3882/S3426) signed today requires public schools to post a link to the subsidized school meals application in a prominent location on their website, along with a link to at least one informational video produced by the New Jersey Office of the Food Security Advocate regarding the school meals application,” the press release states.
“The Governor also announced that as schools prepare to let out for summer, the State is issuing Summer EBT benefits to more than 680,000 eligible students,” the press release states.
“This legislation will make it easier for families to find and access school meal programs by ensuring information is readily available when they need it,” Sherrill said. “At the same time, we are continuing our commitment to fighting food insecurity by providing Summer EBT benefits to more than 681,000 New Jersey children, helping families put food on the table even while school is out of session.”
Board Debate
The school board also discussed how to share information between members, in terms of keeping the board as a whole or breaking into committees.
The board is going into their seventh month as board of the whole, according to Board President Chris Filiciello.
He said prior to the discussion that, potentially starting in August, the board may go back to “board as a committee.”
Board as a whole means “the whole membership of a legislative house sitting as a committee and operating under informal rules,” according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
In most districts, committees are made up of a few members of the board. They have a specific focus, such as a curriculum committee. They meet and then they make their reports to the rest of the board.
The board held a lively discussion on whether to remain as a “board as a whole,” or to go back to “board as a committee.”
The format of the board as a committee would include one meeting per month, according to Filiciello.
Board member Tiffany Middlecoop said, “I would say that I am definitely looking to a fresh start and the open communication that we’ve just had this evening.” She added, “There’s already been a change, I think, in our dynamic.”
Board member Greg Leszega said, “I think there needs to be tight guardrails if we go back to committees. I am in favor of it. But, the information does have to flow. There has to be a tight timeline that the chairman of the committee would have to agree to.”
Filiciello said, “Even if you have some kind of form where you have to say what the pros are for this proposed idea, what the cons are…just something so that – you have a two hour meeting. You get a three minute update, and it’s not very informative.”
He added, “When I worked in city government…the city council would be two or three city council people and the department head. The administration was able to talk to the board, the board was able to talk to the administration. I think that’s a good way for us to rebuild communication lines in a way that’s productive and within the realm of the structure that we’re given.”
Board member Dennis O’Keefe said, “Tonight is an example of how nights are going to flow as a committee as a whole. I’m for the current structure.”
“I don’t want to have to chase people down and ask. I’ve had to abstain and sit out of certain topics, and I’ve had to chase people down. I’ve had to call people and get feedback where it was allowed,” he said.
Filiciello decided to keep the board as a whole, “for now, [and] we’ll come up with some kind of structure.”
