LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Since the start of the school year, 13 Action News has been reporting on the Clark County School District’s bus driver shortage and how it was causing students to miss hours of class each week because their bus routes were being delayed or canceled.
The problem is now impacting students beyond just the classroom.
“Sometimes you don’t even know. You think they went to eat breakfast but really they’re sitting there starving,” April Capili said.
Capili relies on the meals that CCSD schools provide to make sure her kids get the nutrition they need but lately, she says there have been days where her kids come back home hungry.
“It just feels horrible,” Capili said.
Lisa Segler is the director of strategic initiatives at Three Square, an organization that helps provide food for families at risk of hunger.
“We know that when kids are in school they are protected. They get that wholesome and nutritious meal and sometimes kids don’t have anything until they return to school the next morning,” Segler said.
Segler said food insecurity impacts students and their ability to sit in class and learn.
“130,000 students right here in Clark County are wondering where their next meal is going to come from,” Segler said.
13 Action News reached out to CCSD about the issue, asking if students who were arriving late to school could still receive the meals they missed.
The school district responded by saying kids would not be turned away if they asked for a meal and added that the district has been providing free breakfast and lunch since the start of the pandemic.
Currently, about 67% of CCSD students qualify for free and reduced lunch.
“I am hoping they just get it together so the kids are on time for breakfast,” Capili said.
