Photos: TUSD Food Services Department adjusts and continues providing meals through COVID-19 crisis
-
Josh Galemore
Photojournalist
- Updated
The Tucson Unified School District Food Services Department has continued to provide services for students and families throughout the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and currently is distributing 30,000 meals a week to students.
Although in-person instruction has yet to continue and school cafeteria lines are obsolete the food services department has adjusted to the times in order to meet studentsâ nutritional needs.
The grab-and-go program has been the districtâs main line of meal distribution. Partnering with the transportation department, food services has used 12 buses to take meals daily throughout Tucson for families to pick-up for their students.
In addition to the daily grab-and-go distribution throughout the city, the district has implemented an alternative weekly pickup of a weekâs worth of meals (including breakfast, lunch, and five days of snacks) at the TUSD Food Services Department Central Facility off of 15th street. The alternative meal pickup will take place on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. Those wanting to use the alternative must register by calling the food services department at (520)225-4700 or emailing them at federalmeals@tusd1.org.
The district recently was awarded a $24,500 grant through Albertsons/Safeway Nourishing Neighbors Community Relief Initiative which will allow the food services department to buy more coolers, insulated bags, sanitizer, gloves and other PPE to continue their distributing meals safely throughout the COVID-19 crisis.
TUSD Food Services
Updated
Cecilia Torres, a warehouse technician at the Tucson Unified School District-Food Services Department, moves a stack of empty crates from a bus into a loading bay at their central facility located at 2150 E. 15th Street following a daily grab-and-go distribution, on Sept. 23, 2020.
TUSD Food Services
Updated
Jason Grounds, a warehouse technician at the Tucson Unified School District-Food Services Department, washes down coolers returned to their central facility located at 2150 E. 15th Street following a daily grab-and-go distribution, on Sept. 23, 2020.
TUSD Food Services
Updated
Central facility program coordinator Ron Tolf (center) stacks coolers on shelves to be cleaned at the Tucson Unified School District-Food Services building located at 2150 E. 15th Street, on Sept. 23, 2020.
TUSD Food Services
Updated
Ron Tolf, the central facility program coordinator for the Tucson Unified School District-Food Services, sprays disinfectant on coolers being returned to their facility located at 2150 E. 15th Street following a grab-and-go distribution, on Sept. 23, 2020.
TUSD Food Services
Updated
Cafeteria worker Johnny Tellez sorts chicken nuggets into bags for grab-and-go distribution use at the Tucson Unified School District-Food Services building located at 2150 E. 15th Street, on Sept. 23, 2020.
TUSD Food Services
Updated
Cafeteria worker Francis Fontes sorts chicken nuggets into bags for grab-and-go distribution use at the Tucson Unified School District-Food Services building located at 2150 E. 15th Street, on Sept. 23, 2020.
TUSD Food Services
Updated
Cafeteria worker Johnny Tellez sorts chicken nuggets into bags for grab-and-go distribution use at the Tucson Unified School District-Food Services building located at 2150 E. 15th Street, on Sept. 23, 2020.
TUSD Food Services
Updated
Jason Grounds, a warehouse technician at the Tucson Unified School District-Food Services Department, places insulated bags on a shelf to be washed after being returned to their central facility located at 2150 E. 15th Street following a daily grab-and-go distribution, on Sept. 23, 2020.
TUSD Food Services
Updated
Central facility program coordinator Ron Tolf opens a insulated bag carrying sandwiches at the Tucson Unified School District-Food Services building located at 2150 E. 15th Street, on Sept. 23, 2020.
TUSD Food Services
Updated
Warehouse technician Joe Maximo disinfects lids of coolers at the Tucson Unified School District-Food Services building located at 2150 E. 15th Street, on Sept. 23, 2020.
TUSD Food Services
Updated
Warehouse workers stack and clean coolers at the Tucson Unified School District-Food Services building located at 2150 E. 15th Street, on Sept. 23, 2020.
Luna Rose, Shaw and Grivois-Shah projected to win seats on the TUSD Governing Board
UpdatedNatalie Luna Rose, Sadie Shaw and Ravi Grivois-Shah are leading the race to win seats to the TUSD Governing Board, beating out four other candidates.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Pima County still had thousands of votes to count.
The Governing Board for Southern Arizonaâs largest school district, Tucson Unified, makes decisions that control a $500 million budget and affects the lives of about 42,500 children and their families.
The three newcomers, to be seated in January for the volunteer positions on the five-person board, will be responsible for seeing the district through educating students during the COVID-19 pandemic, an enrollment loss upwards of 2,500 students, a possible $15 million budget shortfall, a continuing statewide teacher shortage and TUSDâs ongoing desegregation order, already in place for more than 40 years.
Board President Kristel Foster and board members Rachael Sedgwick and Bruce Burke all declined to run for reelection, leaving three seats open. Luna Rose, Shaw and Grivois-Shah would join board members Adelita Grijalva and Leila Counts.
Luna Rose, who got more votes than any other candidate, is a TUSD parent and founding member of Tucson Unified Parent Advocacy Council.
She works as community and outreach manager at the Arizona Center for Disability Law. She has been doing grassroots organizing for almost 20 years, participating in the public process at all levels.
Luna Rose says her win signals a change for the community, âas we now have the most diverse group of school board members to ever truly represent the district.â
âCome January, the Governing Board will face some intense challenges with the budget, declining enrollment and an infrastructure that needs massive repair, not to mention issues surrounding COVID-19,â she said. âThe work will begin on Day 1. We have a lot of work ahead of us but I am ready to fight hard for Tucson families and help shape TUSDâs future.â
In our most unique candidate session of the 2020 election season, candidates for one of three vacant seats on the Tucson Unified School Distri…
Shaw is an artist, art educator and community advocate. She volunteers in TUSD schools, currently as part of an art program at Catalina High School.
She serves on the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee for both the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona as well as the League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson, where she is the education program co-chair.
âThis win is for Sugar Hill and all the neighborhood schools that got closed down,â Shaw said in a post on Facebook. âThis win is for the students who underperform and the parents who feel powerless. This win is for the employees that dedicate their lives to the district but arenât paid a living wage. This win is for my daughter and everyone at Manzo Elementary. Weâve got a lot of work ahead of us to improve the conditions in TUSD but Iâm excited for the challenge and humbled by the opportunity.â
Grivois-Shah is a TUSD parent and involved member of the Tucson Unified community. He is a parent member of the TUSD Audit Committee, and last year he served on the districtâs Family Life Curriculum Committee to revise the sex education curricula.
He has been a family physician for the last 15 years, and he recently became CEO of the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation.
âIâm honored and grateful that the TUSD community voted to put their trust in a physician and parent who will put the needs of Tucson students and families first,â Grivois-Shah said in a prepared statement.
âVoters responded to our positive message that focused on ensuring a sound response to the COVID pandemic in our schools, financial sustainability and accountability, and addressing disparities and inequities throughout TUSD. We have a clear mandate to meet these expectations.â
The three winners are projected to beat candidates Adam Ragan, Cindy Winston, Nick Pierson and write in candidate Cristina Mennella.
OTHER TUCSON SCHOOL BOARD RACES
âĸ Amphitheater School District Governing Board members Scott Baker, Deanna M. Day and Vicki Cox Golder were on track for reelection as of Wednesday, defeating newcomer Nathan Davis, an educator.
âĸ Vail board members Callie Tippett and Allison Pratt and newcomer Chris King were on track for election as of Wednesday to the Vail Unified School District Governing Board, leading over newcomer Andre Mixon.
âĸ Sunnyside School District Governing Board member Rebecca âBekiâ Quintero won reelection alongside two new candidates, Matthew Taylor and Lisette NuÃąez. While a fourth candidate, Joaquin NuÃąez, came in third place, he had already withdrawn his candidacy.
The Tucson Unified School District Food Services Department has continued to provide services for students and families throughout the Coronav…
Educational Enrichment Foundation awards nearly $60K for student projects in TUSD
UpdatedThe Educational Enrichment Foundation is awarding 66 classroom grants to Tucson Unified educators totaling $56,973, to support student projects.
The grants will provide teachers with funding to purchase supplies, materials and equipment for virtual classroom projects. The 66 recipients will use their awards to buy new books, virtual reality glasses, yoga mats and mindfulness activities, sculpting clay, Edison Robots for Scratch Coding, 3D Printers, iPads and more.
âEEF is thrilled to be able to provide this funding for teachers to enhance and expand student learning in TUSD,â said executive director Dawn Bell. âEven with the challenges of online learning during the pandemic, teachers continue to impress us with creative projects that can be accomplished with their students remotely.â
Educational Enrichment Foundation awards classroom grants based on the review and recommendation of a committee of Tucson community members.
Tanque Verde psychologist joins prestigious board
The lead school psychologist in the Tanque Verde School District, Ivonne Olivas, was appointed to the executive board of the Arizona Association of School Psychologists.
Olivas will engage school psychologists with âhigh-quality professional development, promote visionary leadership and advocate for ethically, culturally competent and socially just practices to empower school psychologists in the vital role of supporting the well-being of Arizonaâs children and youth,â a news release said.
Olivas is in her 13th year as a school psychologist and in her second year in Tanque Verde schools.
Pueblo receives $35,000 grant for computer science program
Pueblo High School is receiving a $35,000 STEM grant for creating a computer science program.
The grant will âhelp students from underrepresented backgrounds, interested, prepared and on their way to a possible career in computer science/cybersecurity,â said Roberto Cruze, the school counselor who will oversee the grant.
Pueblo will work on creating a sustainable program over the next year for students to advance their understanding of computers and the computer science field, Cruze said.
The school will work to create a 10-day introductory computer science summer program in which incoming freshmen will be able to get a jump start on their high school career.
The Tucson Unified School District Food Services Department has continued to provide services for students and families throughout the Coronav…
Federal prison on Tucson's southeast side COVID-19 hot spot
UpdatedThe federal prison complex on Tucsonâs southeast side has become a COVID-19 hot spot, and widespread testing is urgently needed to prevent hundreds of employees from spreading the disease beyond the prison gates, a report to the Pima County Board of Supervisors said.
To date, about 500 of 1,300 inmates at the facility at 8901 S. Wilmot Road have been infected with coronavirus, and until last week, the prison was not offering on-site testing for its 600 or so employees, said the report from County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry.
Rather, employees who wanted to be tested were directed to see their doctor or seek out a free clinic. Relatively few did so â only about one-quarter of the workforce, the Nov. 17 report said.
âWe believe the facility needs to provide comprehensive COVID-19 testing for all staff,â it said.
In the meantime, the County Health Department, with the blessing of the federal Bureau of Prisons, is sending mobile testing units to the prison.
More than 90 employees were tested on site and the mobile unit will be back Tuesday for another session, said an email from the countyâs epidemiological team, which is helping prison officials address the situation.
Parents, students, teachers and other concerned citizens protest in support of in-person teaching outside the Pima County Administratorâs Offi…
Huckelberryâs report said such testing âis critical to protecting both the detainees and the larger community.â The Health Department has asked for a list of all prison employees and will be cross-checking the names with the countyâs coronavirus contact-tracing database, it said.
The report also said some prison employees have been careless about wearing masks and other protective items when transporting prisoners or handling them in a hospital setting.
About two-dozen infected prisoners were sick enough to go a hospital for admission or evaluation, and during that time âsignificant lapses in basic mask and PPE use have been noted among correctional staff,â the report said.
Bureau of Prisons spokesman Justin Long said the facility has adopted numerous precautions since the pandemic began, including temperature checks, limiting prisoner transfers and suspending in-person visitation.
âWe cannot require that staff members be tested for COVID-19,â although they are âhighly encouraged,â to do so, Long said in an email from agency headquarters in Virginia.
Prison officials are closely monitoring the situation, he said.
âWe are deeply concerned for the health and welfare of those inmates who are entrusted to our care, and for our staff, their families and the communities we live and work in,â Long said.
The Tucson Unified School District Food Services Department has continued to provide services for students and families throughout the Coronav…
Josh Galemore
Photojournalist
As featured on
Hundreds of teachers are calling on Tucson Unified School District to hold off on reopening campuses while thousands of parents want to send their children back for hybrid learning.Â
The limited number of COVID-19 vaccines that Pima County will get next week for educators will be distributed among staff that each school or district deems a priority, with vaccinations starting on Jan. 20.
