Virginia's Prince William County School District, which continued online learning this fall due to COVID-19, switched from providing families with packaged meals for pickup daily to offering bags of groceries for pickup twice a week so foods can be prepared at home. Adam Russo, director of school food and nutrition services, said it might not be in people's best interest to leave home each day to pick up meals.

Walton Avenue School in the Bronx thrived under the leadership of first-time principal Daniel Russo, who had the philosophy of "Everybody gets everything they need every day in order to succeed." Russo focused on elements such as creating a supportive environment, building trust and using collaborative teaching, and developed community partnerships to help meet students' basic needs.

A Virginia middle school has canceled a planned exchange visit from students in China amid concerns of the potential spread of the deadly coronavirus. The move comes after parents raised concerns about the visit of students from Yichang, which is about 175 miles west of Wuhan, where the outbreak is believed to have originated.

School nutrition professionals in an Alaska district say they are preparing menus of dishes that are healthy and appetizing. The district holds tastings to gather students' feedback on the menu items, which Diane Russo, nutrition services department assistant supervisor, says also helps curb food waste.

Dozens of schools in Virginia are serving free dinners to students after school. The meals are made from scratch and are available to any student, but Adam Russo, Prince William County Schools' director of school food and nutrition services, says the meals are especially helpful to children who may not get a healthy one at home.