The Biden administration on Tuesday issued an extension for free school lunch through 2022 as part of its effort to reopen schools safely amid the coronavirus pandemic. According to a press release, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will allow school meal programs to resume serving meals to students this fall and will extend the programs through the following year. The programs will also allow for flexible service that promotes social distancing as schools begin to reopen across the country. “USDA will remain relentless in ensuring our nation’s children get the critical nutrition they need,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Tom Vilsack USDA: Farm-to-school programs help schools serve healthier meals OVERNIGHT MONEY: House poised to pass debt-ceiling bill MORE said in the release. “States and districts wanted waivers extended to plan for safe reopening in the fall. USDA answered the call to help America’s schools and childcare institutions serve high quality meals while being responsive to their local needs as children safely return to their regular routines. ADVERTISEMENT "This action also increases the reimbursement rate to school meal operators so they can serve healthy foods to our kids," he added. "It’s a win-win for kids, parents and schools.” With the extension, public schools across the country will be able to provide meals through the USDA’s National School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option (SSO), which is usually only available to students during the summer, the press release noted. The program will also ensure that students are provided meals that include nutritional items such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, milk and maintain "sensible" calorie amounts. “Students’ success in the classroom goes hand in hand with their ability to access basic needs like healthy and nutritious meals,” Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona Miguel Cardona The Hill's Morning Report - Presented by Facebook - All ...
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Jersey City Schools Staying All Remote Until September
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (CBSNewYork) — Jersey City schools will not reopen for in-person learning until September. Public school officials notified parents of the decision earlier this week. Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop was critical of the move, calling it “an absolute failure of leadership.” He said he hopes school officials will reconsider. Fulop noted that Newark, Hoboken and other surrounding districts managed to come up with various reopening plans. CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC Ask CBS2’s Dr. Max Your Vaccine Questions COVID Vaccine FAQ From CDC Vaccination Sites In New York City | Call 877-VAX-4NYC Track NYC Vaccinations By Zip Code Find A New York City Testing Site Near You Check NYC Testing Wait Times Resources: Help With Unemployment, Hunger, Mental Health & More Remote Learning Tools For Students And Parents At Home Complete Coronavirus Coverage ...
Connecticut To Lift Remaining COVID Restrictions Starting May 1
HARTFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork) — Connecticut will become the first state in the Tri-State Area to fully reopen on May 19. Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday the state will lift all remaining COVID restrictions, will the exception of indoor mask rules. READ MORE: Jersey City Schools Staying All Remote Until September The rollbacks will begin May 1, when all outdoor restrictions will be lifted. READ MORE: Swollen Lymph Nodes A Common Reaction After Any Vaccine, Not Just COVID: 'That's A Good Sign That Your Body Is Processing It' “We have an 11-o-clock curfew, move that back a little bit to midnight. Gives restaurants an opportunity for a second seating, which they greatly appreciate. Makes us parallel to what’s going on in New York State, a certain symmetry there,” Lamont said Monday. “And outdoor restrictions lifted. Alcohol without food allowed. That sounds a little like a bar, where you can sit out and have a drink without necessarily having to have a meal right now. Strongly recommend being outside. I think May 1, you’re going to find it a lot warmer being able to do that outside. And no table size limits. We were capped at eight, and we’re going to lift that as well.” MORE NEWS: All New Jersey Residents Age 16 And Up Now Eligible For COVID Vaccine The governor said the decision is contingent upon continued improvements of the state’s vaccination rate and maintaining a low infection rate. ...
Afghan women fear the worst, whether war or peace lies ahead
By Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Fatima Faizi and Najim Rahim , The New York Times KABUL, Afghanistan — Farzana Ahmadi watched as a neighbor in her village in northern Afghanistan was flogged by Taliban fighters last month. The crime: Her face was uncovered. “Every woman should cover their eyes,” Ahmadi recalled one Taliban member saying. People silently watched as the beating dragged on. Fear — even more potent than in years past — is gripping Afghans now that U.S. and NATO forces will depart the country in the coming months. They will leave behind a publicly triumphant Taliban, who many expect will seize more territory and reinstitute many of the same oppressive rules they enforced under their regime in the 1990s. The New York Times spoke to many Afghan women — members of civil society, politicians, journalists and others — about what comes next in their country, and they all said the same thing: Whatever happens will not bode well for them. Whether the Taliban take back power by force or through a political agreement with the Afghan government, their influence will almost inevitably grow. In a country in which an end to nearly 40 years of conflict is nowhere in sight, many Afghans talk of an approaching civil war. “All the time, women are the victims of men’s wars,” said Raihana Azad, a member of Afghanistan’s Parliament. “But they will be the victims of their peace, too.” When the Taliban governed Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, it barred women and girls from taking most jobs or going to school, and practically made them prisoners in their own homes. After the U.S. invasion to topple the Taliban and defeat al-Qaida in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Western rallying cry for bringing women’s rights to the already war-torn country seemed to many a noble undertaking. The cause helped sell the war to Americans who cringed at the sight of a B-52 carpet bombing insurgent positions. Some schools reopened, giving young women ...
‘The Father Is A Hero’; Oakland Man, 1-Year-Old Daughter Die In Horrific Arson Fire
OAKLAND (CBS SF) — An Oakland father, who brought his family to the San Francisco Bay Area to escape war-torn Yemen, died trying to rescue his 1-year-old daughter from an early morning arson fire and was being heralded as a hero Sunday by police and family members. Esam Musleh and his little daughter Alia Musleh died when a fire engulfed their 3-story house located right across from the front entrance of Bishop O’Dowd High School at 12:14 a.m. Saturday. His pregnant wife remains hospitalized with burns. READ MORE: BREAKING: Verdict Reached In Derek Chauvin Trial Esam Musleh worked as a clerk in a liquor store. The family had immigrated to the United States to escape war-torn Yemen. “We run from Yemen because of the war,” Alsamma said. “We thought we are safe here. But death followed us to this place.” Police said the family was the innocent victims of one of several retaliatory attacks related to a homicide a week ago. Now, Esam and his daughter are Oakland’s 43rd and 44th homicides of the year. A year that is at a historic pace for deadly violence in the East Bay city. Investigators said witnesses have told them that someone was throwing objects through the house windows, causing fast moving flames to burn. “(Family members) heard something exploding, you know, twice or three times,” said Mohammed Alsamma, the victims’ cousin. Alsamma also lived at the house. He was at work when someone called him to alert him that his home was on fire. He confirmed the fire killed his cousin Esam and his one-year-old daughter Alia. Police said the father tried to rescue the girl as the deadly flames engulfed the home. Firefighters found their bodies together. READ MORE: COVID Reopening: Marin County Remains at Orange Tier “The father and the child were found together,” said Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong. “And so it’s really sad, but the father is a hero. He sacrificed his life,” Armstrong said Muslef’s wife suffered second degree burns to her ...
