Dr. Morris Leis, Coffee County School Superintendent, recently participated in a congressional briefing at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. Personally invited by AASA: the School Superintendents Association, Dr. Leis traveled to Washington, D.C. on April 19 and met with members of Congress. Dr. Leis first met with the executive director of the Food Research Action Center at their headquarters in Washington to discuss the importance of the Community Eligibility Program (School Breakfast and Lunch Program). Following the briefing, Dr. Leis went to the Capitol and met with policy analysts and other staff from AASA to prepare for the afternoon briefing.
The meeting, which was held in the Gabriel Zimmerman Meeting Room with approximately 100 attendees, consisting of Congressional Staff and representatives from related agencies, started at 11:30 a.m. with an opening from the President of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), House Education and the Workforce Committee, gave some general remarks concerning the Community Eligibility Program. A senior policy analyst from the Food Research and Action Center presented a report and findings on CEP noting there are 3,000 school districts, 18,000 schools, and 8.5 million children participating in the CEP program. One in five school districts nationwide have schools enrolled in CEP. Coffee County Schools is represented within these statistics.
The Nutrition Director for the Pennsylvania Department of Education, a business administrator from the Lansingburgh School District in New York, and Dr. Leis each had approximately 10 minutes to speak to the audience. Dr. Leis’ comments were aimed at describing how CEP is positively impacting students and families here in Coffee County, the benefits of CEP, and why funding for CEP should continue. Dr Leis served as a member of a three person panel during a question & answer session.
Later that afternoon, representatives from AASA, the Food Action Research Center, and Dr. Leis met with Congressman Rick Allen at his office on Independence Avenue. Dr. Leis discussed changes that are being considered for CEP which would move eligibility from 40% to 60%. It was pointed out that if these changes are made, six Coffee County schools will no longer qualify for CEP. Dr. Leis encouraged Congressman Allen not to make those changes. He also discussed the possibility of relaxing the standards on sodium and other nutritional guidelines and giving more local control on those decisions. The trip was funded by the Food Research Action Center.
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