The Port Washington Union Free School District's preparations for its incoming students include new picnic tables outside all its schools.

When school starts next week, the students will be able to go to the cafeterias, pick up grab-and-go foods, and take them outside to eat breakfast before their classes, said Kathleen Manuel, assistant superintendent for business in the school district.

The district's seven schools, along with more than 250 other schools on Long Island, will begin offering free breakfast and lunch this school year to all students, regardless of their household incomes, under the 2026 state budget adopted in May . The expansion of the program statewide will mostly affect Long Island and the Hudson Valley, where student poverty is often hidden and household expenses ar

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