Duxbury nutrition director reports student survey and steady participation; supply-chain funds absent this year

Kelly Prince, director of Food Nutrition Services for Duxbury Public Schools, presented results of a recent student survey and an overview of participation and budget trends for the district’s school meal program.

Prince said staff collected 490 student responses across the high school and middle school, with 345 responses from the high school and 45 from the middle school. “We had 490 total responses, which was, I thought, pretty good,” Prince said.

Survey highlights included frequent participation and positive ratings: 57.1% of high school respondents reported eating school lunch four to five times per week, and roughly 78% of high school respondents ranked the program between 6 and 10 on a 1–10 satisfaction scale. Students named watermelon and apples as favorite daily fruit offerings and, unexpectedly to staff, cucumber slices as a top vegetable option. “No surprises to me, everyone loves watermelon,” Prince said.

Participation and finance figures presented by Prince show the district averages about 1,500 reimbursable meals per day and roughly 1,900 total meals when la carte and second meals are included. She told the committee the district will not receive certain federal supply‑chain assistance funds this year, noting that those funds previously helped offset rising food costs after the pandemic.

Prince said the food service program maintains vegetarian and gluten‑free options and that Chartwells staff have used student advisory councils and in‑kitchen engagement to refine menus. She described student helpers, demonstration events and taste-test feedback as part of ongoing outreach.

Meeting staff also discussed potential federal policy changes that could affect school meal funding at the state level. The session noted proposed federal changes to the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) formula and that a higher federal threshold could reduce federal reimbursements to states that now support universal free meals — a shift that could affect Massachusetts’ funding decisions if enacted. The transcript records these policy concerns as a meeting-level warning rather than a finalized policy change.

Ending: Prince said she will run a second survey in spring to compare seasonal differences in student responses and that staff will continue outreach to families about menu options and dietary accommodations.