Latest news with #Auxier
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Utah Legislature to consider extending school lunch breaks
Students eat lunch at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School in South Salt Lake on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) Are 15 minutes enough time for a lunch break? That's the typical time Utah schools allocate for children to eat, counting the time to walk to the cafeteria, and line up to get food. That's a big deal for many parents and children, Rep. Tiara Auxier, R-Morgan, said during the the Education Interim Committee's first meeting of the year on Wednesday, while she advocated for the panel to study expanding the seat time for lunch in public schools. As her colleagues passed a House bill this year making school lunch free for students who qualify for reduced-priced meals, Auxier kept thinking about unresolved issues, especially the timing concern she experienced with her kids. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'One of my biggest concerns was that we were going to be putting a lot of money into this program, and the kids still weren't going to be able to eat them,' Auxier said. 'We heard so many times about full trash cans and kids just being rushed out.' With some lawmakers supporting the idea, while acknowledging that its implementation could be a challenge, the committee voted unanimously to add a review of policies and best practices centered around lunch times to its list of interim study items and audits. Starting July 1, Utah students qualifying for reduced-priced lunches can get meals for free Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights, who is an educator, said this is a step in the right direction, though she worried about how extending the lunch break may affect existing legislation requiring certain time minimums for core subjects. That's a concern that the chair of the committee, Rep. Candice Pierucci, R-Herriman, had heard as well from teachers. 'They usually say, 'well, we just don't have time, right? You've got to pack everything in.'' Pierucci said. 'So that should be a part of this discussion.' The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends schools provide at least 20 minutes of seat time for students to eat their meals and socialize. That's apart from the time it takes them to use the restroom and wash their hands, wait in line, walk to their tables and bus trays after the meals. 'About half of school districts nationwide do not require or recommend that schools give students at least 20 minutes to eat, once they receive their meal,' the CDC's website reads. 'Some students report that insufficient time to eat is a key reason for not participating in the school lunch program.' The Utah State Board of Education has a similar guideline in its Health and Wellness Policy, directing schools to provide a minimum of 10 minutes for breakfast, and 20 minutes of lunch, 'which excludes time to arrive at the cafeteria and waiting in line.' However, lawmakers noted that it seems like the direction isn't being followed in all schools. As of Wednesday, the committee is prioritizing other study items, including changes to the Department of Education and other federal programs with the new administration; any progress on universities' plans to reallocate 10% of their budget for courses; reviewing school employees' disciplinary actions; and solutions for chronic absenteeism. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Boston Globe
05-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
US Figure Skating to host tribute show benefitting families of victims of D.C. plane crash
The event, fueled by in-kind donations by the groups involved, will benefit the individual families, the Greater Washington Community Foundation's 'DCA Together Relief Fund,' and the DC Fire & EMS Foundation. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'We are grateful for the groups and people involved for getting this off the ground,' US Figure Skating interim CEO Samuel Auxier said in a media call on Wednesday morning. 'Our skaters immediately responded, because they've been looking for ways to raise money for those impacted.' Related : Advertisement The tribute will be hosted by 1988 Olympic men's gold medalist Brian Boitano. The event will feature eight American skaters from a variety of eras, including 1984 Olympic men's champion Scott Hamilton, 1992 Olympic women's gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi, and 1998 Olympic champion Tara Lipinski. Today's era of skaters will also participate, with reigning World men's champion Ilia Malinin (who trains in the DC metro area), two-time U.S. champion Amber Glenn, and two-time World ice dance champions and six-time U.S. champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates. Skaters from The Skating Club of Boston will also participate in the show, honoring six from the club who were on Flight 5342: 1994 World pairs champions and club coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, skater Jinna Han and her mother Jin, and skater Spencer Lane and his mother Christine. Related : Auxier said that while all of their families will be contacted about the tribute, they anticipate not all will participate. 'We will not pressure the families to participate,' said Auxier. 'We have one [Maxim Naumov, son of Shishkova and Naumov] who lost both parents. It'll be about where they all are in the recovery process.' Advertisement It's the first foray back into the skating world for Burg in some time, who was one of the sports' major promoters during its 1990s heyday. 'The outpouring of support to be involved in this is something like I've never seen,' said Burg. 'The figure skating community comes together. We are going to show that community is a common theme, through skating, speaking to the victims' families, to celebrating first responders.' Related : Auxier had a conference call Tuesday evening with the group of US Olympic figure skating gold medalists, including 'They were pleased,' said Auxier, who expects most of them to attend the March 2nd event. 'They all have been looking for ways to help.' Members of several professional sports franchises in the DC area will take part, including the NFL's Washington Commanders, NHL's Washington Capitals, NBA's Washington Wizards, and WNBA's Washington Mystics, among others. '(In addition to Boston), this has struck the people of Washington, DC in a significant way,' said Ted Leonsis, chairman and CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, who owns the Capitals, Wizards and Mystics, as well as several ice arenas in the D.C. Metro area. 'We are going to be reminded of this tragedy every day.' Kat Cornetta can be reached at
