Hendrick Hudson board hears student feedback, new food‑service director outlines menu changes after NSLP shift

The Hendrick Hudson Central School District Board of Education on Dec. 16 reviewed student feedback collected after the district shifted its high‑school cafeteria operations to the National School Lunch Program and heard initial plans from the district’s new food‑service director.

Martin Keneally, the district’s new food‑service director, told the board he has made immediate changes at the high school to increase menu variety and said he will expand reimbursable sandwich and panini options. “We’re going to expand what we call the grill option,” Keneally said, adding that daily burgers and whole‑muscle chicken sandwiches are part of the near‑term changes. He also described plans to add toasted‑sandwich options to the reimbursable meal program and to roll out monthly specials tied to cultural celebrations and trending items.

The board presentation summarized a September–October thought exchange of students in grades 9–12 (101 “thoughts” were recorded), which showed mixed reactions with a tendency toward dissatisfaction: students cited perceived declines in quality and variety and asked for the return of popular items such as fries and cookies. Administrators said some a la carte changes are required by NSLP nutrition and sodium/sugar standards, but they pledged to work with suppliers and Aramark to widen permitted choices where possible.

Keneally described operational moves intended to address concerns: upgrading the point‑of‑sale system for better forecasting and financial reporting, retraining staff on menu forecasting, instituting regular student check‑ins, and producing short walkthrough videos to show students how to build reimbursable meals. He said the district will encourage students to take multiple reimbursable meals if needed and will monitor participation and acceptability before making larger changes.

Students and trustees praised some early changes. Senior student Claudia said she has seen more students eating school lunch since the transition: “kids are happy, kids are eating, so I think that there’s a lot of, like, pros to it,” she said, and recommended packaging vegetables to reduce waste.

District leaders said they plan a follow‑up student exchange in February and expect to report back to the board on any implemented changes or new results by late March. No formal vote or policy decision about the food‑service contract occurred at the meeting.