BUFFALO (WBEN) - Due to the need, Buffalo Schools Superintendent Dr. Kriner Cash said that the district will provide as many as 60,000 meals per day to city children...which will be distributed from 11 am to 1 pm at various schools located around the city.
The meals include a hot lunch which can be eaten right away, but they're also handing out breakfast for the following morning. Cash is hoping that the district can begin those services as early as Tuesday afternoon, but he says they'll definitely be ready to go by Wednesday.
"There's a high variability of students with special needs, and it's a great, great continuum from students with moderate needs to students who are very, very medically fragile and require a one-on-one assistant," he said. "At this time, we are not likely to be able to provide for the continuum of services for all students with special needs. What we will do and are doing is providing modified lessons and planning to go home for our special needs students."
As far as New York State testing is concerned, Cash is looking to state lawmakers to sort of figure out that situation in terms of postponement or complete cancellation. He also added that one of his major goals is to make sure seniors will still graduate on time, even though he doesn't anticipate an extended school year deep into summer.
All that being said, the superintendent is adamant that extended closure is the correct decision.
"This is a global crisis," said Cash. "I'm not sure everybody still has figured out just how serious this is. Right now, we could be exposing ourselves just because we don't know who's carrying this at this time. We don't like to do it, but it's not frustrating to do it. It's the only response at this time - to close schools."
