Parent asks why Manhasset district sought NYSED waiver to skip breakfast at Muncie Park
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Summary
A Manhasset resident read a Jan. 27 letter saying the district requested a New York State Education Department exemption in July 2025 that appears to have excluded Muncie Park Elementary from offering breakfast despite a March 2025 survey showing sufficient family interest; the board said it will research the matter and report back.
During the public comment period at its Jan. 29 meeting, the Manhasset Union Free School District Board of Education heard a letter from parent Mary McLean, read aloud by resident Alex McClain, that asked why the district requested an exemption from the New York State Education Department to avoid operating a breakfast program at Muncie Park Elementary School.
The letter, dated Jan. 27, 2026 and read into the record by Alex McClain, cites the district's March 2025 annual breakfast survey and contends that "greater than 33% of Muncie Park families responded to the survey" and that "the district did not receive 80% indicating disinterest," metrics the letter says should have required the district to operate breakfast rather than seek a waiver. The letter states the waiver request occurred in July 2025 and describes NYSED's online waiver process as the channel used to submit exemption requests.
The letter asks the board for "an explanation about why the district sought a waiver for Muncie Park's breakfast service despite Muncie Park parents' surveys' responses indicating sufficient interest in the program," and requests that, if an error was found, the district (1) communicate the error to Muncie Park families and (2) implement a breakfast program at Muncie Park for the 2026-27 school year.
Mr. Post thanked the speaker and said the board would research the matter and return with findings. The board did not provide immediate documentation or a specific timeline in the public session for that follow-up.
The comment raises procedural questions about how the district applied NYSED's waiver criteria and whether building-specific survey results were used in the district's July 2025 request. The district took no formal action on the point during the meeting but said it would investigate and report back.