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Eating and Drinking at School
All staff and students perform proper hand hygiene before and after eating.
Resources:
How to wash your hands (Handwashing Technique)
How to use ABHR (Handsanitizer Technique)
Stagger student/staff recess/lunch/break times to accommodate for hand washing or Alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) use at communal stations (e.g., washrooms) and in shared spaces (e.g., staff rooms, cafeterias).
Remove self-serving food items.
Do not plan activities that involve students in preparing or serving food.
Clean multi-use utensils after each use.
Food is the responsibility of the parent/guardians. No food sharing is permitted. Parents should provide food that requires minimal preparation. Microwaves will not be accessible to students.
Students will eat lunch in their designated classroom and will be encouraged to remain in their designated seat.
Weather permitting secondary school students may choose to eat their lunch outside.
Congregating in the hallways and the use of the cafeteria or auditorium during the nutrition period will not be permitted
Students will be reminded not to share food or drinks or unclean utensils.
Ensure physical distancing is maintained while students are eating.
Increase physical distance of chairs and tables in staff lunchroom by removing extra table/chairs if necessary to do so. Encourage staff to eat in classroom and limit numbers in staff room. Clean and disinfect shared eating areas (e.g., staff room, cafeteria) between cohort use.
Reduce using shared refrigerator for staff lunches. Staff are encouraged to keep their lunches in cooler bags with them in their classroom or office and eat their lunch and snacks at their desk or outside where possible.
Do not use shared small appliances such as toasters, kettles and coffee pots. Staff microwaves must be disinfected before and after each use.
Ensure students have their own individual meal or snack. Ensure “No sharing” policies and procedures are reinforced: food water bottles or personal items.
Personal items should be clearly labelled with each student’s/staff members name
Water bottles must be labelled, kept with them during the day and not shared. Only touch free water fill stations should be used to refill water bottles when possible. If water coolers are used, wipe with a disinfectant wipe before and after use.
In the event an employee is required to assist with a child’s food, they should wash hands thoroughly before and after handling and make every effort to avoid contact with the food
Third Party Food Services & Breakfast Clubs
Cafeteria services and Nutrition Programs must be delivered in a way that any student who wishes to participate can do so.
Food would be prepared in an inspected kitchen, with staff wearing face coverings
Physical distancing of students needs to occur when accessing food. All food should be pre-packaged for “Grab and Go” format. Individual portions can be pre-packaged and set out for students to grab and also monitored by staff for hand hygiene and physical distancing.
All surfaces, bins and containers for food must be disinfected prior to and after each use.
If coolers are to be used for keeping food cold in the classroom, ice packs are to be used for the food to keep it cold, if required. Potentially hazardous foods should not be kept on ice packs in a cooler for the whole school day. Having the cooler would allow for the food to be in the class for an extended time, until the staff member was able to return the bin to the congregate fridge.
The insides of bins/coolers need to be cleaned and sanitized as normal, after use. The outside of the bin should be sanitized twice daily or after each use.
Students should have access to handwashing or hand sanitizer before eating.
Whatever delivery method is used for delivery of the School Nutrition Program, keep in mind the main controls that are in place for COVID-19 (physical distancing, hand hygiene, cleaning and disinfecting) and the need to keep food safe.
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