Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Schools In Focus: Food Service During a Pandemic

  • By Yvonne Marquez
  • 09/08/20

Schools In Focus is a Spaces4Learning podcast dedicated to K-12 and higher ed design, planning, and management. Each episode will feature a conversation with industry experts, facility managers, architects, and thought leaders on topics related to educational facilities. Catch up on previous episodes here.

Today's episode is about K-12 food service during a pandemic.

Schools In Focus, Episode 6: School Lunch During a Pandemic

Schools In Focus podcast logo and Belinda Oakley, CEO of Chartwells K12, and Seth Ferriell, CEO of SSC Services for Education. 

Lunchtime is a bright spot in anyone’s day, especially for students. It’s a time for them to socialize and fuel up for the rest of their day. However during a pandemic, school lunch looks totally different. In this episode of Schools In Focus podcast, I speak to Belinda Oakley, CEO of Chartwells K12, and Seth Ferriell, CEO of SSC Services for Education, about school food service during a pandemic.

“There’s a number of ways to make sure school lunch is still a bright spot in a student’s day in this new environment but it’s really about having a flexible view of that and being prepared to pivot and change your plan as the situations continue to evolve,” Oakley says in the podcast.

We discuss various models of food service to accommodate social distancing such as lunch in classrooms and take-home meal kits; keeping cafeterias and classrooms clean; sustainable options to combat the increase of paper and plastic; and innovation in the K-12 food service industry.

Where to Listen

Schools In Focus is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Stitcher. Subscribe today, or listen below!

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Philadelphia Middle School Facility Earns LEED Gold Certification

    The Alternative Middle Years (AMY) at James Martin Middle School in Philadelphia, Penn., recently received a LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, according to a news release. The School District of Pennsylvania partnered with KSS Architects on the project.

  • DFW-Area District Opens New Replacement Middle School

    The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District near Fort Worth, Texas, recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new replacement middle school campus, according to a news release. The new facility for Wayside Middle School, originally established in 1964, was built on the site of the former district administration building and funded through Bond Proposition A in 2023.

  • Kimball International Releases Curated Design Support Program

    Commercial furnishings company Kimball International recently announced the launch of a new end-to-end design support program, DesignSuite. According to a news release, its goal is to guide architecture & design professionals and dealer partners through the process from vision to specification.

  • Arizona District Breaks Ground on Community Training, Learning Center

    The Tolleson Union High School District (TUHSD) in Tolleson, Ariz., recently broke ground on a new Training & Learning Center (TLC) for both district professionals and the community at large, according to a news release. The 90,000-square-foot facility has an estimated completion date of spring 2027.