Published: January 09, 2009 11:17 pm      

More students applying for free, reduced lunches

School districts across West Virginia are reporting spikes in applications for free or reduced-cost lunches as the economy worsens, The Associated Press reported this week.

Kanawha County said 51 percent of its students are already getting lunches through the program, and in the previous school year, that mark wasn’t reached until April.

Wood County reported its sharpest growth in applications for free or reduced-cost lunches this year and officials from the Northern and Eastern panhandles reported similar increases.

In 2008, 70 percent of students in West Virginia received a free or reduced-cost lunch, according to Richard Goff, executive director for West Virginia Department of Education’s Office of Child Nutrition.

In Raleigh County, officials say the number of students relying on free or reduced-cost lunches is about the same as last year.

“I don’t see an increase,” said Rose Cook, director of child nutrition. “I think the coal industry has kept Raleigh County a little more stable than others.”

Cook said about 52 percent of students receive a free or reduced-cost lunch in Raleigh County.

Although there hasn’t been an increase in the overall number of free or reduced-cost lunches, Cook said she is noticing an increase in the number of applications reporting zero incomes.

If a family reports zero income when applying for free or reduced-lunch, “it means a person lost a job,” Cook said.

“A lot of this is a retail thing and businesses laying off or closing down,” she added.

The county says it checks with all families who report zero income 45 days after submitting a free or reduced-lunch application to see if they were able to get a job or if they still need assistance.

Eighty-three percent of McDowell County’s students rely on a free or reduced-cost lunch, highest in the state, according to the state Department of Education.

Other high numbers were Webster (73 percent), Clay (72 percent) and Lincoln and Calhoun (70 percent).

— E-mail: jayres@register-herald.com