A clear need for breakfast — and lunch — in schools CEP program boosts student performance

By HERNESTO GALDAMEZ hgaldamez@liherald.com

It’s lunchtime at school, and friends and classmates are running to get on line. But there are student who can’t join the line because they don’t have enough money for lunch, so they have no choice but to wait until after school to eat at home.

Lawrence school district officials have eliminated that scenario by taking part in the Community Eligibility Provision, a federal pro - gram in which districts in high-poverty areas offer complimentary breakfast and lunches to all students.

The program provides meals to students regardless of economic background, eliminating the stigma for students who already eat for free because they automatically qualify for federal programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s $229 billion state budget includes $134 million to supplement the

“No part of our County or our region is immune from infrastructure failures like the ones we have experienced during the last month,” County Legislator Debra Mulé, whose district includes Baldwin, wrote in a letter to local, state and federal representatives on July 3. “We must take decisive action to protect our environmental assets and secure the health and safety of all Nassau County residents by averting future catastrophes such as the ones that the residents of Baldwin and Lido Beach have endured.” Broken or damaged drainpipes can lead to the formation of sinkholes, as can drilling, construction and heavy traffic.

Village officials in the Five Towns say they are seeking preventive solutions. Cedarhurst’s most busiest streets and roads — Broadway, West Broadway and Rockaway Turnpike — are, according to Mayor Benjamin Weinstock, maintained by the county.

No part of our County or our region is immune from infrastructure failures like the ones we have experienced.

Weinstock said that with the exception of Washington Avenue, local streets in the village don’t see as much heavy traffic as those that fall under county jurisdiction. He said that at the next village board meeting, scheduled for Sept. 11 the trustees will discuss the issue and scope out ways to prevent sinkholes.

In Lawrence, improving and upgrading the village’s streets is already under discussion. “We never know where a sinkhole is going to pop up, but we are constantly upgrading our infrastructure,” a village repreConTinueD on paGe 20