Gwinnett County school buses taking lunch to students learning virtually

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Schools were empty today in Gwinnett County, but the buses still rolled out to offer free lunches to students who were studying at home.

Tuesday was the first of six planned digital learning day of the year in the state’s largest school district.

The buses were not picking up or dropping off any students, but were carrying meals to any student who wanted one.

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Jennette Molanda walked her daughter up to her bus stop on Tuesday to grab a sack of food.

“In this spirit of COVID, the budget is quite tight. It’s helping,” she told Channel 2′s Tony Thomas.

This is part of Gwinnett County Schools’ effort to help families out during the pandemic.

The lunches are provided to school-age children under a federal waiver.

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“For me, it’s very important. Like you, I’m away from work right now and I couldn’t make a meal for my daughter,” Molanda said.

The buses travelled their normal routes and stopped briefly at every stop along the way. Assistants on the bus handed out prepackaged meals to any waiting kids.

Some stops didn’t have any students waiting to receive meals and others had long lines awaiting the bus’ arrival.

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The program will continue for the remaining five planned digital learning days in Gwinnett County. The next one is scheduled for October 20.

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