Ohio

Ohio schools serve more breakfasts in 2023-2024, state report shows

Published

3 months ago

March 3, 2025

Ohio schools serve more breakfasts in 2023-2024, state report shows

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio schools recorded a slight uptick in the number of breakfast meals served to students last school year, though a recent state report says they aren’t serving as much as they did during the pandemic.

The report shows that 3,253 Ohio public, private and charter schools served an average of 452,644 breakfasts a day to students during the 2023-2024 school year, an increase from the previous year.

For comparison, during the 2022-2023 school year, 423,072 breakfasts were served on an average day at 3,257 schools.

The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce school breakfast report said that schools offered no-cost breakfasts during the pandemic to all students under the Seamless Summer Option, and the average number of meals served was higher than normal. The pandemic meal programs ended at the start of the 2022-2023 school year.

In the 2021-2022 school year, 3,249 schools served kids 541,710 breakfasts.

The old adage that breakfast is the most important meal of the day may still be true: Research shows that the School Breakfast Program can help students perform better in class and become more willing to participate and make better behavior choices because they’re not hungry.

For families on tight morning schedules or tight budgets, the program has been shown to provide children diets that meet or exceed standards for important vitamins and minerals compared with those who don’t eat school breakfast or eat it at home.

The report comes as anti-hunger advocates ask state lawmakers, who are working on the two-year state operations budget, to make school meals free for everyone.

A bipartisan bill in the Ohio Senate, sponsored by Sens. Louis “Bill” Blessing, a Cincinnati- area Republican, and Kent Smith, a Euclid Democrat, would make breakfast and lunch free for all students.

Separate data published by DEW shows that a slight majority of students qualified for free or reduced meals: 56.4% in 2023-2024 and 52.1% in 2022-2023.

Schools are allowed to set their own breakfast prices, as there is no standardized rate, said Lacey Snoke, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture pays between 39 cents to $2.84 a breakfast, depending on the child’s family income level. The state pays 30 cents for every breakfast, Snoke said.

Schools must operate self-sustained operations, using the state and federal reimbursements, Snoke said.

“If they don’t cover their costs, then the school must allocate funds from other sources to cover the costs,” she said.

So what does a school breakfast look like? It can be a full cup of fruit or vegetables, a small carton of milk and an item containing grains and protein, such as a breakfast sandwich.

Breakfast menus may offer items such as eggs, nuts, or meats to pair with whole-grain option, according to the USDA.

All public, charter and private schools can choose to participate in the School Breakfast Program, Snoke said.

“As it is a federal program, all participating schools (including nonpublic) follow the same rules and requirements,” she said.

Many preschools, child care centers and after-school programs offer meals and snacks, including breakfast, through the Child and Adult Care Food Program, which Ohio DEW administers for the USDA. The income criteria are the same but the reimbursement rates are slightly different, Snoke said.

Most schools serve breakfast in the cafeteria before the school day begins. Some serve it in the classroom for students to eat before or during their first-class period. Other schools set up boxed or bagged breakfasts in the hallway for students to pick up on their way to class, the report stated.

Laura Hancock covers state government and politics for The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com.

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Ohio

EOG Resources bets big on Ohio oil boom with $5.6 billion Encino deal

Published

16 hours ago

May 30, 2025

Press Room

EOG Resources bets big on Ohio oil boom with .6 billion Encino deal

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Ohio

Ohio State Buckeyes Fans are Furious Over Scheduling Blunder

Published

1 day ago

May 29, 2025

Press Room

Ohio State Buckeyes Fans are Furious Over Scheduling Blunder

Last year, Ohio State Buckeyes fans were not exactly please with not having any intriguing home night games on their schedule. As a matter of fact, their only evening matchup was in Week 2 against Western Michigan. Not exactly a thriller.

Well, next season, it appears to be more of the same.

Ohio State will be playing an early night game at Ohio Stadium in September, but it will come against the Ohio Bobcats. Understandably, Buckeyes fans are peeved.

Ohio State will begin its season facing the Texas Longhorns at noon ET on Saturday, Aug. 30 before hosting Grambling at 3:30 p.m. ET the following week.

Based on what we saw from the Buckeyes’ schedule last year, this should not come as much of a surprise. Remember: fans routinely complained about too many noon starts in 2024, which lasted pretty much the entire regular season.

It would certainly be nice for Ohio State to play a meaningful game under the lights, but that obviously is not in the cards for the Buckeyes in 2025.

Ohio State is coming off of a national championship, so expectations are high heading into next season. However, because the Buckeyes lost a ton of players to the NFL Draft, there isn’t quite as much hype surrounding the team this time around.

That being said, Ohio State is still widely viewed as a College Football Playoff team and should have a great shot of defending its national title next year. It just unfortunately won’t be in prime time most of the way. Well, except against Ohio.

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MORE: Ohio State Legend Receives Bold Outlook After Surprising NFL Season

MORE: Ohio State Buckeyes 2026 Target Announces Commitment Date

MORE: Ohio State is Quietly Developing a Glaring Recruiting Problem

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Ohio

Will Ohio’s marijuana law change soon? House lawmakers pitch new plan

Published

2 days ago

May 29, 2025

Press Room

Will Ohio’s marijuana law change soon? House lawmakers pitch new plan

A new version of Senate Bill 56 eliminates jail time for passengers smoking marijuana, restricts home-grow locations and regulates hemp products.
The bill changes how marijuana tax revenue is allocated, reducing funds for municipalities and eliminating money for substance abuse and social equity programs.
Additional changes include capping dispensaries, restricting smoking locations, banning child-centric advertising and setting THC limits.

Ohio lawmakers are one step closer to changing the recreational marijuana law approved by voters in 2023.

A House committee unveiled changes May 28 to Senate Bill 56, an overhaul of the adult-use cannabis program that would impose new rules and change how the state spends marijuana revenue. Lawmakers worked behind the scenes for weeks to hash out a modified proposal, and more changes could be on the horizon.

“Our organization has worked diligently to ensure that policymakers hear from the industry before making any changes to the current statute,” said David Bowling, executive director of the Ohio Cannabis Coalition. “While there’s still more to assess, the proposal is an important step forward.”

Here’s where the bill stands now.

House scraps jail time for smoking marijuana as a passenger

The Senate created new penalties for people who smoke or vape marijuana while riding in a vehicle, including a mandatory three-day jail sentence for first-time offenders. House lawmakers got rid of that.

It would still be illegal to drive under the influence of marijuana. The bill also requires anyone driving with marijuana to store it in the trunk or keep products in their original packaging.

Advocates for criminal justice reform said the bill is an improvement but doesn’t do enough to right the wrongs of cannabis prohibition. Lawmakers plan to eliminate a social equity program − which never got off the ground − that aimed to diversify the industry and study the impact of marijuana enforcement.

“We remain committed to our position that, in addition to legalizing cannabis, we must also repair the harms of past criminalization,” said Patrick Higgins, senior policy counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio.

How much marijuana can you grow at home in Ohio?

The latest version of the bill maintains current rules for home grow: Adults 21 and older can grow six plants individually or up to 12 in a household with multiple adults.

But the legislation also adds some new restrictions. It bans growing at homes that serve as child care facilities or transitional housing. People who want to gift home-grown marijuana to another adult could only do so at their primary residence.

Hemp regulation added to mix

Lawmakers combined changes to the marijuana law with their efforts to crack down on delta-8 THC and other hemp-derived cannabis.

The bill now requires intoxicating hemp products to be sold at marijuana dispensaries with a tax rate of 10%. That includes anything inhaled or ingested with over 2 milligrams of delta-9 THC per package or 0.5 milligrams of other THC.

Retailers and breweries could sell beverages with no more than 0.42 milligrams of THC per ounce, which amounts to about 5 milligrams per 12-ounce can. There would be a $3.50-per-gallon excise tax on drinks.

New plan for spending marijuana tax money

The bill keeps the current tax rate of 10% on adult-use marijuana products, even though Gov. Mike DeWine and Senate Republicans pushed for an increase. But it changes where that money goes.

Lawmakers eliminated funds for substance abuse prevention and the social equity program. Instead, most of the money would go to the state’s general bank account.

The proposal does allocate 25% of the revenue to cities with dispensaries for seven years. That’s an upgrade from DeWine’s plan to scrap the fund altogether, but still less than current law, which gives municipalities 36% in perpetuity.

Many local leaders are frustrated that money promised in the voter-backed statute could decrease or go away entirely.

“We have a number of municipalities who went out on a political limb, often with great discussion, to create an environment for an emerging industry that’s somewhat controversial to emerge,” Rep. Jamie Callender, R-Concord, said.

How else could Ohio’s marijuana law change?

The new version of Senate Bill 56 also:

Limits the number of active dispensaries statewide to 400.
Only allows people to smoke or vape at private residences and outdoor concert venues, provided the venue allows it.
Bans advertisements and packaging that feature cartoons or other content geared toward children.
Caps THC content at 35% for flower and 70% for extracts, although the Division of Cannabis Control could change or eliminate those limits.
Requires the division to establish standards for delivery and online ordering at dispensaries.
Allows Ohioans to apply for expungement for low-level marijuana possession convictions.

The House will hold at least one more committee hearing on the bill before it’s up for a full vote. It would then need to go back to the Senate.

State government reporter Haley BeMiller can be reached at hbemiller@gannett.com or @haleybemiller on X.