Politics & Government

Highlights from the Canton School Committee: Breakfast, Healthcare and Student Population

The Canton School Committee met Monday night.

A healthy breakfast and more sleep could be in store for Canton students.

At Monday night's , the committee members heard presentations from Martha Lawless on food services and Nurse Leader Janet Donnelly. The committee also discussed delaying the start time for the high school.

Lawless gave a presentation on the need to add a student breakfast program to Canton public schools.

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Citing recent studies, Lawless said school breakfast allows students to learn better, be more focused and have less behavior management issues.

The goal is to add a school breakfast program to all the schools this year, she said. However, she noted there is a need for more planning.

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She said this year, there are 400 students eligible for free and/or reduced lunch, as compared to 150 students in 2004. The need for a healthy breakfast is evident, she said.

Breakfast would be offered to all students, those on free/reduced lunch and those who would pay. Superintendent of Schools Jeff Granatino said the committee will continue the discussion on adding a school breakfast.

Also at the meeting, Donnelly gave an overview of the school nursing program in Canton schools. Last year, of the 3,200 students in Canton schools, 859 children had special health care needs, she said.

Last year, the nursing staff had 32,600 health encounters with students and staff, she said.

The School Committee also discussed forming a committee to further examine the possibility of delaying the start of school for the high school, as neighboring Sharon Public did this year. This could allow the teens to get the extra sleep they need, committee members said.

Lastly, Cindy Thomas gave an update on contract negotiations with the Canton Teachers Association.

Thomas said the negotiations sub-committee had a "productive session" with the CTA last week and hopes to have an update at the next meeting.

The next Canton School Committee meeting is schedule for October 6 at 7:00 p.m. at Canton High School.


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