OHIO SCHOOL LUNCHES Free School Lunch Enrollment Declines In Ohio
Reported by: Associated Press
Web Producer: Heath Harrison
Reported: Feb. 6, 2013 10:47 AM EST
Eyewitness News Photo
Columbus, Franklin County
, Ohio
The number of lower-income school children in Ohio receiving free or reduced-price lunches has decreased for the first time in six years.
Numbers from the Ohio Department of Education showed that nearly 820,000 youngsters get subsidized meals this school year. That's 44.4 percent -- a slight decline from the 45.3 percent enrolled in the program last year.
The school-lunch program is funded by the federal government. It serves students considered to be economically disadvantaged based on their family income.
The Columbus Dispatch reports that the number of Ohio youngsters in the lunch program has increased by nearly 50 percent in the past decade as poverty has grown in the state.
Much of the increase has been seen in suburban districts, where middle-class families have lost jobs or seen their earnings decline.
Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Weight on Ashland bridge restricted after wreck May 22, 2013 4:01 AM EDT A wreck on an Ashland bridge has prompted the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to impose a temporary 10-ton weight limit on the span.
Southern Ky. welcome center on I-24 reopening May 22, 2013 4:02 AM EDT An interstate welcome center in southern Kentucky near the Tennessee line will reopen Wednesday and remain open until after the Memorial Day holiday.
Weight on Ashland bridge restricted after wreck May 22, 2013 4:01 AM EDT A wreck on an Ashland bridge has prompted the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to impose a temporary 10-ton weight limit on the span.
Associated Press
