Virginia's Growing Diversity Puts Focus On School Calendar, Menus

VIRGINIA — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has formed a task force charged with identifying the best ways for putting together public school calendars that recognize the needs of more cultures and religions, the governor’s office said Thursday.

The group, called the Task Force on Culturally Inclusive School Meals and Calendars, also will look at how school nutrition programs can ensure students have access to meals that suit their dietary needs and honor their cultural practices.

“When our school environments reflect the history, values, cultures, and traditions of the communities they serve our students are better positioned to learn and thrive,” Northam said in a statement.

The task force is divided into two subcommittees, one focused on developing recommendations on how to offer more diverse school meal options to students and another focused on putting together school calendars.

“Virginia’s schools benefit from increasing cultural, religious, and ethnic diversity — this diversity is a great asset, but also presents a challenge as schools strive to serve students of a variety of backgrounds equitably and compassionately,” Virginia Secretary of Education Atif Qarni said in a statement Thursday.

The task force will provide recommendations to school divisions and higher education institutions that are seeking to expand meal offerings and recognize important religious and cultural holidays such as Eid al-Fitr, Ash Wednesday, Lunar New Year, Yom Kippur, Diwali and other days that are not currently on school calendars.

Qarni chaired the first meeting of the Task Force on Culturally Responsive School Meals and Calendars in late May. The task force includes students, parents, educators, local school division leadership, school nutrition experts, religious leaders, and representatives from the Office of the Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, No Kid Hungry, the Virginia Association of School Superintendents, the Virginia School Board Association, the Virginia Parent Teacher Association, and the Virginia Education Association.

The task force has about 20 members, including several from the Northern Virginia and D.C. areas:

• Farah Ahmad of Gainesville, community service, interfaith and government relations assistant for the McLean Islamic Center
• Hurunnessa Fariad of Sterling, head of outreach for the All Dulles Area Muslim Society
• Karishma Merchant of Alexandria, senior education and workforce policy adviser in the Office of U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA)
• Adam Russo of Manassas, director of the Office of School Food and Nutrition Services, for Prince William County Public Schools
• Rabbi Abbi Sharofsky of Silver Spring, Maryland, director of intergroup relations and Rabbi in Residence for the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington

The task force will meet biweekly in June and July to develop recommendations. It will then present its recommendations to the Northam administration’s Children’s Cabinet and a group of school superintendents, school nutrition directors, higher education representatives, school board members in August.