Healey-Driscoll Administration Highlights Importance of School Breakfast

 Healey-Driscoll Administration Highlights Importance of School Breakfast 

Education Secretary Tutwiler visits Springfield Public Schools
to see ‘Breakfast in the Classroom’  

SPRINGFIELD – The Healey-Driscoll Administration visited Springfield Public Schools today to highlight the importance of school breakfast. Participation in school meals continues to climb after Massachusetts made state-supported universal free school meals permanent. School breakfast participation increased by 78,000 students from 2019 to 2024, a 36 percent increase. However, the number of students who eat lunch each day is still about double the number who eat breakfast. In fall 2024, 292,000 students ate breakfast daily while 595,000 ate lunch.  

 

The administration is committed to increasing school breakfast participation to make sure students have the fuel they need to stay alert and focused throughout the school day. It is also a focus of Governor Maura Healey's Anti-Hunger Task Force’s work to mitigate against President Trump’s cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and adopt long-term solutions to hunger. 

 

Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Director of the Office for Food and Nutrition Programs Rob Leshin visited the Rebecca M. Johnson School today to see breakfast in the classroom firsthand and tour Springfield’s Culinary and Nutrition Center, a 62,000-square-foot, full-service, commercial kitchen. In partnership with Sodexo, this center prepares meals cooked from scratch for the districts’ cafeterias. The district was able to open this center with funds collected from increased revenues from school breakfast reimbursement. Today, 26 percent of Springfield Public Schools food service purchasing is of local products.   

 

“It was wonderful to be in Springfield today to see the impact of Breakfast in the Classroom firsthand. Springfield is a model for meeting children where they are, sustaining high breakfast participation, and incorporating local products with meals made from scratch,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Patrick Tutwiler. “Now more than ever we know how important healthy school meals are to student wellbeing and learning, as well as supporting families’ overall grocery budget and ability to put food on the table.”  

 

“I’m proud that Massachusetts has committed to universal free school meals that give students access to healthy food twice a day,” said Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Pedro Martinez. “Learning is a struggle for students who are hungry, and I’m glad to see the increased number of students eating school breakfasts.”  

 

Since Springfield Public Schools implemented Breakfast in the Classroom, breakfast participation increased from 44 percent in 2015 to 85 percent as of May 2025. After implementation, nurse visits due to hunger decreased 26 percent across the district.  

 

Research consistently finds that students who eat breakfast, including at school, do better academically and are more engaged. Students also display decreased behavior and social-emotional problems and have lower rates of absenteeism. Importantly, students are more food secure, and school breakfast can increase the amount of nutritious food students eat and protect against obesity and other negative health outcomes.  

 

“Springfield Public Schools greatly appreciates the partnerships that have made Breakfast in the Classroom a success.  We are honored to be recognized as a model in the state for this program,” said Springfield Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Sonia Dinnall. “We’ve been providing breakfast in the classroom throughout our district since 2015, and it has had a positive impact on attendance as well as behavior. It does a great deal to build community as well as reinforce a feeling of belonging.  We all can attest to the fact that good nutrition and high-quality education are inextricable, and a nutritious breakfast is the best way to start a day of learning.” 

 

When the state made universal free school meals permanent, it required all schools participating in the federal National School Lunch Program to also provide breakfast for their students. Under state law, schools where 60 percent or more of students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Program must offer all students a school breakfast after the beginning of the instructional day. This can happen through a variety of models, including breakfast in the classroom, “grab and go” breakfast, and “second chance” breakfast in the cafeteria. The administration works with districts to help them find the model that works best for them.