Students at Fort Worth schools who rely on lunches during the week will be able to pick up free meals during their spring break that was extended due to coronavirus concerns, the district announced on Saturday.

Fort Worth ISD officials had said on Friday they were working with the Tarrant Area Food Bank to prepare “to go” lunches that students could pick up during the closure. The district is one of several throughout Tarrant County that has extended its spring break by at least two weeks, acting on guidance from county public health officials.

There are 82,000 children in the Fort Worth school district who qualify for free lunches as well as 96 schools that qualify for a program where students can have meals at no cost regardless of financial background. School districts across the country including Fort Worth ISD have had to grapple with the impact of closing schools on students who rely on lunches.

Superintendent Kent P. Scribner said in a news release on Saturday that the district’s Child Nutrition Services Department and their vendor Sodexo will provide healthy “to-go” lunches from food trucks from Monday-Friday at eight district schools.

The district provided a list of the schools and when the meals will be available:

• Meals will be available from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Springdale Elementary School at 3207 Hollis St.
• Meals will be available from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Manual Jara Elementary School at 2100 Lincoln Ave.
• Meals will be available from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Western Hills Elementary School at 2805 Laredo Drive.
• Meals will be available from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Hubbard Heights Elementary School at 1333 W. Spurgeon St.
• Meals will be available from 10 to 11:30 am. at Paul L. Dunbar High School at 5700 Raey Ave.
• Meals will be available from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Eastern Hills High School at 5701 Shelton St.
• Meals will be available from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Clifford Davis Elementary School at 4300 Campus Drive.
• Meals will be available from noon to 1:30 p.m. at De Zavala Elementary School at 1419 College Ave.
• Meals will be available from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Polytechnic High School at 1300 Conner Ave.
• Beginning March 18, meals will be available from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Como Montessori at 4001 Littlepage St.

The message from the superintendent does not mention if students collecting the meals have to provide any proof they are enrolled in the district.

Arlington School District will also provide meals for kids at 23 distribution locations starting on Monday. Each weekday during the closure, children will be provided one packaged lunch meal and one light breakfast meal for the following morning, the district said in a a news release. The meals can be picked up between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

In the Keller Independent School District, Sodexo will provide meals for children at five elementary schools during the closure, beginning Monday.

Meals will be served curbside at Basswood, Caprock, Eagle Ridge, Keller-Harvel and Whitley Road elementary schools. One meal will be provided for each child in the vehicle and will be available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday, the district said.

Parents were asked to stay in their vehicle as they drive through to pick up meals. Meals are available to any children in Keller ISD and not restricted to students on free or reduced lunch plans.

In the Mansfield Independent School District, free meals for children will be available starting Monday at six distribution sites.

They will be distributed at Glenn Harmon, D.P. Morris, Annette Perry and Mary Jo Sheppard elementary schools, Della Icenhower Intermediate School and Danny Jones Middle School.

The food will be distributed in a drive-thru fashion from 11 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday, the district said.

No one will need to leave their vehicles. All participating children must be in the vehicle. Children do not have to be a student at the campus to qualify for a meal, and families can visit any of the sites.

Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley said county officials have been in contact with school districts across the county on how to continue providing meals to students who rely on them. Bus drivers could be asked to deliver meals to households, he said, and programs that provide meals over the summer could be activated.

Arlington students can pick up meals at any of the following locations:

• Dipert Career+Technical Center
• Sam Houston High School
• Ferguson Education Center
• Bailey Junior High
• Barnett Junior High
• Boles Junior High
• Nichols Junior. High
• Ousley Junior High
• Shackelford Junior High
• Workman Junior High
• Young Junior High
• Crouch Elementary
• Farrell Elementary
• Knox Elementary
• Larson Elementary
• Miller Elementary
• Pope Elementary
• Sherrod Elementary
• Short Elementary
• Speer Elementary
• Starrett Elementary
• Swift Elementary
• Wood Elementary

This story was originally published March 14, 2020 at 12:10 PM.