Free Lunch
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Anonymous
| I live in MD in a district that offers free lunch to all public school students. Do districts in VA offer this? |
Anonymous
| Yes. DC attends a high school where the percentage of kids who qualify means it's just easier and more efficient to offer free lunch to everyone. |
Anonymous
| What district is she in? |
Anonymous
| Depends on the FARMs percentage at the school. I have two kids in APS. One gets free lunch, while the other does not. |
Anonymous
| If you’re poor you can apply for free lunch. |
Anonymous
This. If FARMS percentage is high enough, then all get a free lunch. This might be a Federal regulation or law, not sure, but definitely is true across VA and MD and several other states. |
Anonymous
| OP, on your district website there should be a food services section and you may/should/who knows be able to find the info there. |
Anonymous
Yep, this is a nationwide initiative called the Community Eligibility program. At schools with high percentages of free lunch, there is a measurable group of students whose families don’t apply so the students may go hungry. The CEP program increases participation in the meals program by removing that obstacle. Schools and districts apply annually. You can search your school’s status here: https://www.fns.usda.gov/cn/cep/state-status |
Anonymous
| Kenmore is 100% free for everyone -- no paperwork needed -- both breakfast and lunch. I think, but am not entirely sure, that Wakefield also started a similar program this past school year. Not sure about other schools in APS or districts...but if a family needs assistance, there are many ways to request support. |
Anonymous
Yes, Wakefield has it this year, too. |