Lunch ladies and other food service workers in Fayette County public schools will soon be provided with better slip-resistant shoes thanks to a state grant.

The system applied for and received a $5,000 grant from the Georgia School Boards Association’s Risk Management Services division to purchase new shoes for all school nutrition employees. “Many of our employees are on a low, fixed income and can only afford a low-quality slip-resistant shoe,” said nutrition director Kokeeta Wilder. However, slips and falls from kitchen hazards are the most frequent injury for such workers, and the average cost of a single incident is $2,600.

Fayette was among 13 school systems selected from 50 that applied for the grant program, which is now in its fourth year.

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Mathew Palmer, a former Delta Air Lines employee, at his home in Atlanta on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025.  Palmer was fired less than two weeks after writing a post on social media about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. (Natrice Miller/AJC)