Board Member K. Alexander Wallace Urges PGCPS to Waive Meal Costs During Partial Federal Government

On Saturday, January 5th, 2019, Board of Education Member K. Alexander Wallace, District 7, submitted a formal Letter of Request to the Interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Monica E. Goldson, to waive the costs of meals, both breakfast and lunch, for all non-Free and Reduced Meals (FARMs) students throughout Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS). After submitting the letter to the Interim CEO and the Board of Education, Board Member Wallace posted a copy of the letter on his social media platforms for public viewing. His Letter of Request, Dr. Goldson's response and Plan of Action, both short-term and long-term, as well as Board Member Wallace's response to the system's plans to provide assistance can be found below.

Board Member K. Alexander Wallace's Letter of Request:

PGCPS Interim CEO, Dr. Monica E. Goldson, responded to the Letter or Request:

To access the hyperlink in her letter for applying for meal assistance, click here.

In response to Dr. Goldson's leadership and swift action, Board Member Wallace released the following statement:

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Response to Interim CEO’s Plans to Provide Meal Cost Assistance During Federal Government Shutdown:

This past weekend, after receiving several emails from concerns constituents regarding the partial federal government shutdown, I sent a Letter of Request to our Interim Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Monica Goldson, to implement a temporary waiver of the costs of meals, both breakfast and lunch, for all students who were not already receiving nutritional financial assistance.

My letter to her was written with a singular goal in mind - to provide some relief to our students and families who may or may not be financially suffering during this time of political battle in Washington.

Since the submission of my letter, I have received thousands of responses of support for this endeavor I proposed. Though there were many, they all shared a common resolve - hope. Whether it was the high school senior who was advocating for her fellow classmates or the single mother of three who did not know when the next full paycheck was going to come, the responses from around our county, state, region, and, yes, nation were filled the hope of having our school system step up and give a sense of relief to thousands of impacted families.

Earlier today, Dr. Goldson responded to my Letter of Request and released, both, a short-term and long-term plan to assist families. Her response and her plans can be found by clicking here.

I want to publicly express my utmost support for Dr. Goldson’s plans to provide Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) families with meal cost assistance. To her and her Executive Cabinet, and to all the PGCPS staff members who worked tirelessly to make these effort come to fruition, my sincerest thanks go out to you all. Job well done!

Under her leadership, our school system has already regained the confidence of our community and her response to my request is yet another example of her leadership qualities, willingness to serve, and readiness to progress this school system.

To the thousands of citizens who joined me in my efforts, I give thanks to you. To the impacted families during these troubling times, I pray for you. To my beloved county and school system, I will continue to serve you.

Signed with gratefulness,

K. Alexander Wallace Board Member, District 7