On Monday, a legislative committee plans to discuss a bill to make breakfast free for all public school students in Arkansas.

Perhaps the largest restaurant in the state of Arkansas is the Little Rock School District. Serving thousands of kids, breakfast and lunch, five days a week, nutritionist Stephanie Walker-Hynes says a lot of work goes into meal planning, because children, she says, “eat with their eyes.” The food has to look appealing.

“Because you don't want your tray to be bland,” she said. “You don't want to serve starchy vegetables all the time. And so we also want to make sure we have a variety and we are advancing the palate.”

Free school breakfast up for debate in Arkansas Legislature

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

The superintendent of the Little Rock School District is stepping down. Jermall Wright has led the district since summer of 2022. He will stay on until there is a transition plan in place. The announcement came in a letter, Thursday afternoon.

“It has been an honor and privilege to work alongside the board and staff,” the letter said. “To usher in significant changes in district operations all geared towards student outcomes.”

The letter contained a list of accomplishments he was proud of from his tenure. This included decreasing the number of schools with an “F” rating and bringing up graduation rates.

LRSD Superintendent Jermall Wright steps down