More schools in New Jersey are getting ready for the possibility that they’ll have to close over potential exposure to COVID-19. That's a challenge for school districts that provide free or reduced-price lunch for a half a million students.

The state Department of Education is requiring schools to come up with backup plans should a health official mandate remote learning. 

But moving to online instruction is a lot more complicated for districts with high numbers of low-income students.

Freehold Borough Schools Superintendent Rocco Tomazic says 77 percent of his students rely on free lunch. They also get breakfast and a backpack of food they can take home on weekends.

"We want the kids healthy and we want food in their stomach," Tomazic told WNYC.

He plans to keep a building open so kids can pick up food if health officials close his district. He's also trying to work out a plan to allow families to pick up two meals at once. He worries what impact this can have on families.

"Families have to start going through the what if's and that’s more of a challenge for somebody who is maybe living hand to mouth," he said.