Also on A1 of the Sunday @journalsentinel: Wisconsin officials fail to get food assistance to thousands of poor children jsonline.com/story/news/pol… via @patrickdmarley and me
Wisconsin has failed to send food assistance to tens of thousands of poor children who are supposed to be getting extra help because they have been learning at home during the coronavirus pandemic.
Under a federal program created last spring, the families of students who qualify for subsidized meals in Wisconsin schools are supposed to receive $6.82 to cover food for every day their children are not in school buildings and are instead learning virtually.
But tens of thousands of students haven't gotten their benefits because the state didn't collect the addresses of all students. It also has not determined whether nearly 500 schools are holding classes virtually — even though the state promised to do so months ago.
The state doesn't have addresses for about 78,500 students who may be eligible for the program. It's unclear how many of them qualify for benefits because it will depend on whether they have been attending school virtually.
Sherrie Tussler, executive director of the Hunger Task Force in Milwaukee, said she was frustrated state officials hadn't done more in recent months to make sure they got the aid out as quickly as possible.
"Why did we wake up one day and realize we didn't have addresses?"
"Why did we wake up one day and realize we didn't have addresses?"
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