The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school system has plans in place to feed approximately 30,000 students who qualify for free meals should schools close because of the new coronavirus, the district’s Chief Operating Officer, Lauren Richards, said.

As of Friday afternoon, the school system had canceled all extracurricular activities, such as sports and high school proms, but opted to keep schools open for classes. Many of the students who receive free meals only eat at school, Richards said, so the system is planning to use emergency money from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide meals.

The district has 39 schools where all students can get free breakfast and lunch because of income levels in their communities. During the summer and when emergencies close schools, the USDA allows districts to open those 39 schools in order to feed anyone in the community between the ages of 0 and 18, Richards said.

It is unclear whether Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools will close because of the COVID-19 outbreak in North Carolina. The school system has remote learning plans in place should physical classes be suspended.

Richards said there also are plans to deliver meals to students who can’t get to campuses.