Scottsdale Unified School District is expanding its program to feed children during the school closures from four to 15 sites.

Any child in the community ages 1-18 is eligible to receive a free breakfast and a free school lunch each weekday. Each child present in the vehicle will receive two free meals, according to a press release.

So far, the district has offered meals from 9:30-11 a.m. at Navajo, Tavan and Yavapai elementary schools as well as Tonalea K-8 School. The district started offering meals Monday, March 23 out of SUSD school buses at the following locations:

• Hohokam Elementary School home campus, 8451 E. Oak St. in the bus lane from 9:30-10 a.m.;
• Apache Park, 1201 N. 85th Place in the south parking lot from 10:30-11 a.m.;
• Navajo Elementary Granite Reef Campus, 4525 N. Granite Reef Road from 9:30-10 a.m.;
• Pueblo Elementary, 6320 N. 82nd St., in the bus lane from 10:30-11 a.m.;
• SUSD Bus Stop, 7440 E. Thomas Road, in the parking lot at the northeast corner of Thomas Road and Civic Center Drive from 9:30-10 a.m.;
• Oasis of Scottsdale Apartments, 7777 E. Heatherbrae Ave., from 10:30-11 a.m.;
• Redfield Elementary, 9181 E. Redfield Road, in the bus lane from 9:30-10 a.m.;
• Horizon Park, 15444 N. 100th St., at the west entrance from 10:30-11 a.m.;
• The Bridge United Methodist Church, 4900 E. Thomas Road in Phoenix from 9:30-10 a.m.;
• Salem Lutheran Church, 6701 E. Osborn Road, from 10:30-11 a.m.; and
• Scottsdale 59 Apartments, 5900 E. Thomas Road, from 9:30-10 a.m.

Patrons should look for the school bus at each location. Meals will be handed to vehicle occupants, allowing for visitor to remain in their cars. Each child present in the vehicle will receive two free meals (breakfast and lunch).

The meals service is intended to assist families with the nutritional needs of children, as all SUSD school campuses are closed in support of national and state emergency declarations.

In a recent Governing Board meeting, Superintendent Dr. John Kriekard assured the community that the work of educating children continues, regardless.

“We understand the hardships that school closures create for all our families --- students and employees alike --- and we want to stress that we are diligently working to best meet the needs of all,” Dr. Kriekard said in a prepared statement.

That support not only includes the breakfast and lunch program: it is being extended to the distribution of devices and Internet hotspots so children can continue their education at home.

SUSD transitioned its teaching and learning activities “from the campus to the cloud” Monday, March 23. Principals and teachers received training March 18–20 as the district’s educational services, administrative support and information technology support staff readied the online instructional model.

Remote learning will continue until further notice as federal and state officials work to provide additional guidance to school districts across the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SUSD officials say the district has taken a variety of measures to protect the health and wellness of students, employees and their families, as well as the general public.

Those actions include canceling all large-group gatherings and meetings on campus; directing non-essential staff to remain at home and not report to work; and allowing essential staff to work remotely and meet virtually.

Further action includes postponing all athletic and fine arts events, including practices and canceling all facility rentals through at least March 29. Gov. Doug Ducey and Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman announced a two-week extension of school closures to which SUSD will comply.

To help reassure the SUSD workforce of more than 3,000, the SUSD Governing Board approved a resolution earlier this week that guarantees district employees will be paid through the current shutdown period of March 16 to April 10.

The Governing Board and District administration are working continuously to prepare plans of action based on updates and direction from federal and state authorities.

As the SUSD response to the coronavirus situation evolves, updates are posted on the District’s website at www.susd.org/COVID19.