PORTLAND, Ore. — With summer break over, thousands of students returned to Portland Public Schools on Tuesday. The excitement of the first day of the new school year could be felt everywhere one turned.
"I'm feeling good," a student at Woodlawn Elementary School told KGW. "I am really excited because I have a really cool teacher."
Portland Public Schools' new superintendent, Dr. Kimberly Armstrong, was also there to welcome students back and greet parents.
"Our priority is to make sure that our learning environments create opportunities for joy and to the classroom and into the hallways everyday," Armstrong said.
This year, the district is also doing something new. The school district will be serving free breakfast and lunch for all students, regardless of their parents income. Families no longer need to submit an application for free or reduced-price meals.
"That is probably one of the best things going on this year," said Andrea Porter-Lopez, principal at Woodlawn Elementary. "It's having the free breakfast and lunches for everybody."
"To know that all students in PPS can have free breakfast and lunch everyday is going to take a burden off of families," she added.