M-DCPS Announces Meal Distribution Changes and Increases to Student Meals

Starting next week, Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) will consolidate its meal distributions for remote learners to once per week.

Meals will be distributed on Thursdays, from 4 – 5:30 p.m., and will consist of bulk food items equaling 21 meals per student per pick up - seven breakfast, seven lunch and seven after-school meals.

The change to the once-a-week allocation will result in a larger amount of food being provided per student/per parent pick-up as well as save time for parents.

Last November, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it would extend the summer meals flexibility waiver, allowing M-DCPS to continue to serve free meals to all children throughout the entire 2020-2021 school year.

The USDA requires that parents/adults provide proof of valid identification that the meal is for a child 18 years old or younger, if the child does not accompany them to the distribution. Identification can include a student ID, report card or progress report. These are the same guidelines that were followed during M-DCPS’ summer meal distributions.

M-DCPS has not wavered in its commitment to support students and families. To date, the District has provided over 16 million meals to students at no cost.