Breakfast & lunch at no cost, with no application process
BY ANITA STIEFEL
ANITAS@OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
OPELIKA — The Lee County Board of Education distributed a letter to parents announcing the system’s participation in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which will allow all enrolled students to be automatically eligible to receive a healthy breakfast and lunch at school at no cost on each day of the school year, effective Jan. 1, 2024.
“All students are able to participate in these meal programs without having to pay a fee or submit a meal application. Al a carte items will also still be available at an extra cost to the student. Only the first reimbursable meal will be free for students,” the letter states.
According to Lee County Schools Child Nutrition Director Krystal Paterson, parents should be aware that any negative balances on a student’s account will need to be cleared up as soon as possible.
CEP was established federally in 2010 as part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act and became available nationwide in 2015. According to the website HungerFreeAlabama.org, CEP is a non-pricing meal service option for low-income school districts. The program is for school districts in which at least 40% of students qualify for free and reduced-price meals or are enrolled in SNAP, TANF or Medicaid.
CED is designed to remove the stigma of receiving free breakfasts and lunches, there-by increasing participation in school meal programs. Research has shown that schools which offer free meals to all students have better attendance rates, reduced student suspensions and improved test scores. CED also removes the hassle of filling out and processing free and reduced-price meal paperwork for parents and staff.
If you have any questions, contact the Lee County Board of Education at (334) 705-4142.