Roanoke schools change mind, will resume food delivery to kids

Schools reverse decision during Tuesday afternoon School Board meeting

Durham School Services presents Roanoke City with action plan (WSLS 10)

ROANOKE, Va.UPDATE March 31, 2020

Roanoke City Schools will again deliver meals to kids while schools are closed.

This is a change in the decision made Monday after Gov. Ralph Northam issued a stay-at-home order.

There will be no food delivery or pickup on Wednesday or Thursday. The next time food will be available for pickup will be Friday.

Meal delivery will resume by bus on Wednesday, April 8. The number of bus routes will be reduced by about a two-thirds, from 148 to 48.

The delivery schedule will settle on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with some adjustments near spring break.

Families will receive two days worth of meals at a time.

Staff members are doing the best they can to keep everyone social distancing

On Tuesday, everyone who came to pick up food received multiple days worth of food. 2,800 to 3,500 meals were distributed.


Roanoke City Public Schools are citing Gov. Ralph Northam’s stay-at-home order as the reason for making some drastic changes to how the district approaches this time where schools are not meeting in person.

Rita Bishop announced that all school buildings are now closed and that no employees will be allowed inside them until further notice.

Another major change is that the school will no longer be using buses to deliver meals to students.

While meals will not be delivered, starting Tuesday, the school district will provide grab-and-go service from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at four schools:

  • Fallon Park Elementary
  • Round Hill Elementary
  • Patrick Henry High School
  • William Fleming High School.

The school board will meet Tuesday afternoon to discuss the governor’s order and determine how food service will operate moving forward.

For those who cannot visit any of the four schools, they’re directed to call 211.

All Roanoke City Public School employees will still be paid while schools are closed, according to Bishop.

Here are some other changes announced by Bishop:

  • Administrators must be available by phone from 9 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
  • All group rotations are suspended and further instruction will be given regarding rotations after Tuesday’s school board meeting
  • Teachers can develop and produce virtual lessons at home; however, principals need to monitor what is being taught.
  • Grab and Go Tech Support at both high schools has also been suspended.