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NATCHEZ — Public school systems in Natchez and Concordia Parish are offering free grab-and-go breakfast and lunches to students who are out of school as schools are closed to help prevent further spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Natchez’s public and private schools will be closed at least through Friday this week while Louisiana schools are closed at least through April 13.

Many families rely on school systems to provide meals for their children to make ends meet and therefore public schools are continuing to provide meals during the extended school closures, school officials said.

Concordia Parish Schools Superintendent Whest Shirley said breakfast, lunch and a snack would be distributed all at one time from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Monday through Friday at Vidalia Junior High, Ferriday Junior High and Monterey High School for any child 18 years old or younger regardless of whether they attend Concordia Parish Schools.

Meals would not be provided during the week of the school district’s scheduled Spring Break, which is March 23 through 27, Shirley said.

In Natchez, grab-and-go meals would also be provided at select school and community locations at least for the remainder of this week, Superintendent Fred Butcher said.

Natchez Adams School District officials said their students and staff would be updated on the school closure and meal provisions by 5 p.m. Friday.

Breakfast and lunch will be provided to all children ages 18 years old and younger and to special needs youth who are 21 years old and younger, Butcher said.

Breakfast will be provided from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. and lunch from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Frazier Elementary, West Elementary, Morgantown Middle and Natchez High schools as well as the Broadmoor and Lagrange community centers’ parking lots and New Hope Baptist and Daughter of Zion churches’ parking lots.

Parents of children with documented diet restrictions who are also in need of meals should email the district’s meal coordinator, Shantoura Spears, at sspears@natchezschools.org with information about their child’s needs.