USDA official tours Kanawha schools; reviews breakfast, lunch pr - WOWK 13 Charleston, Huntington WV News, Weather, Sports

A federal food and nutrition official will visit West Virginia on Tuesday.

Audrey Rowe is an administrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service. This morning, she joined West Virginia Superintendent of Schools Jorea Marple for a tour of Piedmont Elementary School in Charleston.

The tour started with the school's breakfast service at 7 a.m. Rowe will also make a visit to a West Virginia summer food service site at the Amandaville Court housing complex in St. Albans.

"It's our opportunity and responsibility to ensure that no child in West Virginia goes hungry during the summer months just because most schools are closed," said Rowe said in a news release from the West Virginia Department of Education. "Our children need to maintain a consistent healthy diet that supports growth and learning."

The Mountain State is one of seven selected to take part in the USDA's Community Eligibility Option. It will provide nearly 90,000 West Virginia students breakfast and lunch at no cost, according to the news release. As part of the program, West Virginia plans to expand its Universal Free Meals pilot from 73 schools in eight counties to 283 schools in 35 counties for the 2012-2013 school year.

"Research consistently shows that children who eat a well-balanced breakfast and lunch perform better on standardized tests, have higher math scores and lower rates of absenteeism and tardiness," said Marple in the news release. "It's unfortunate that many children in our state rely on school meals and summer feeding programs for their main nutrition. These programs are vital to their well-being."