School leaders thrilled with extension of free meals
By Mike BergerCanton school leaders are elated with the decision by the state legislature and Governor Charlie Baker to fund the school breakfast and lunch program for the coming year.
During the pandemic, the federal government paid to make sure that every student would have a free school lunch. That program expired at the end of the 2021-22 school year. However, state lawmakers included a provision in the FY23 budget that would extend the program for another year and the measure was subsequently approved by the governor.
“This is great news for our students and families,” said Steven Marshall, CPS director of finance and operations. “A free breakfast and lunch will be available for all PreK-12 students each day. We do expect that this free program will allow us try new products. We expect to get our food service program menus back to pre-COVID levels of offerings, and we will continue to expand and change offerings to meet the needs of our students.”
The announcement of the school lunch program was due to be discussed at Thursday’s School Committee meeting. Also on the agenda were the first read of all the school handbooks for the upcoming school year and an update on Canton’s application for MSBA building funds for the GMS renovation project.
Canton firefighters respond to mutual aid
It was a busy week for the Canton Fire Department as crews were deployed to two separate mutual aid fire calls in the neighboring towns of Norwood and Stoughton. Both fires were in residential structures and went to a third alarm due to the size of the fire and the brutally hot temperatures that firefighters had to endure.
Fire Chief Charles Doody said one Canton firefighter was treated on the scene at the Norwood fire for heat exhaustion and is recovering. The fire broke out in the early morning hours on August 5 inside a multi-family home on Walnut Ave. Six Canton firefighters responded and they remained on scene for almost two hours, performing a search of the structure and aiding in overhaul operations.
Two days later, at approximately 1:15 p.m., a crew of eight Canton firefighters responded to a fire on Poskus Street in Stoughton. The crew assisted in overhaul and extinguishment and performed a search of the structure. Firefighters cleared the scene at 3:18 p.m.
Public invited to annual ‘Celebration of Life’
The Canton Alliance Against Substance Abuse (CAASA) invites the public to its annual Celebration of Life on Thursday, September 1, at 5:30 p.m. on the front lawn of the Canton Senior Center at 500 Pleasant Street. If you have ever lost a loved one to substance use disorder, you may submit their name and photo for inclusion in the CAASA slideshow. Submit photos to cantonmaalliance@gmail.com.
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Posted by Mike Berger
on Aug 12 2022. Filed under News, Schools.
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