Fresno Unified reversed course Monday, saying the grab-and-go school lunch program will continue serving meals over the district’s spring break, which begins April 6.

Superintendent Bob Nelson made the announcement via social media and a news release.

“We’ve found a way to continue to serve meals to students through spring break,” Nelson said in the video announcement.

The district will continue the regular schedule of providing grab-and-go meals from 9-11 a.m. Monday through Friday at 19 sites, including serving meals to students during the spring break, April 6-9.

“I am pleased that as a district we have decided to extend our meal distribution through most of the spring break, knowing that our students and families desperately need this support. During this unprecedented time, our families are facing increased unemployment and anxiety. I hope that providing meals can ease their worries,” Nelson said in a prepared statement.

The meal program will come to a temporary pause on April 10, which is a district holiday.

On April 10, community partners will “fill the gap and provide food,” Nelson said.

Monday’s development followed nearly two weeks of uncertainty after Nelson said the district planned to halt the program during the planned break, from April 6 to 13. That sparked criticism and at least one online debate where Nelson defended the move to critics.

“Our food service workers have not had time to serve their own families since shelter in place enacted, and need time to get own situations resolved,” Nelson said in a tweet last week.

Last week, district officials said they were looking into the possibility of keeping the program going, but stopped short of promising to find a way.

Fresno Unified serves 74,000 families, and 80% of those families are eligible for free meals through the federal lunch and breakfast program.

The program is currently serving 40,000 meals per day.

Nelson on Monday also announced new plans for distance learning. Saying teachers will start “professional learning this week focusing on distance learning and those tools.”

Online student work will continue to be optional for Fresno Unified. Nelson has said the challenges of online learning place an unfair burden on students without computers or consistent Internet access.

Nelson on Friday also said the district was working on plans to distribute tablets and hotspots to Fresno Unified students. That announcement followed criticism from community members who said many children had yet to receive them.

In 2018 Fresno Unified approved 2.8 million dollars for the purchase of tablets and hotspots for students in need of tablets as part of the eLearning program.

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This story was originally published March 30, 2020 at 12:37 PM.