Knox County Schools to offer free breakfast and lunch for the rest of the school year

Knox County Schools will offer free breakfast and lunch for students through the end of the school year, the school district announced Friday. 

Breakfast and lunch had previously been free throughout the pandemic through a U.S. Department of Agriculture program, and will continue for the rest of the 2020-21 school year, Superintendent Bob Thomas said in an email. 

"The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced that it will provide additional flexibility to school districts, allowing us to continue providing both breakfast and lunch meals at no cost for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year, regardless of income status or school attended," Thomas wrote.

"KCS has opted to take advantage of this flexibility, and we are very grateful for the chance to continue providing breakfast and lunch to our students at no cost throughout the entire school year," he continued. 

The spring semester

Knox County Schools will continue to offer in-person and virtual options for students this spring. If students are staying with their current learning option from the fall semester, no action is needed. 

However, if students wish to switch learning options for the spring semester, families will have from Oct. 26 to Nov. 6 to do so. The deadline to make a decision is at 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 6, Thomas said. 

More information about learning options is available on the Knox County Schools website.