Book: E

Section: Support Services

Title: Free and Reduced Price Food Program

Code: EFB

Status: Active

Adopted: February 6, 1984

Last Revised:August 26, 1992

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FREE AND REDUCED PRICE FOOD PROGRAM

 

The policy for free and reduced price meals shall be as follows:

 

A.        Free Meals

 

To serve meals free to children from families whose income is at or below the income level approved by the state agency.

 

B.        Reduced Price Meals

 

To serve meals at a reduced price to children from families whose income is at or below the income level approved by the state agency.

 

C.        Special Hardship Children

 

To serve free or reduced price meals to foster children in cases where the welfare agency is legally responsible for the child and the annual income of the child is not above the income for free or reduced price meals of a one-member family. To provide free or reduced price meals to those children whose parents/guardians have become unemployed provided the loss of income causes the family income during the period of unemployment to be within the eligibility criteria.

 

D.        Non-Discrimination

 

There will be no physical segregation of, or any other discrimination against, any child because of his/her inability to pay the full price of the meal or milk. The names of children eligible to receive free or reduced price meals and/or milk shall not be published, posted, or announced in any manner, and there shall be no overt identification of any such children by use of special tokens or tickets or by any other means. Further assurance is given that children eligible for free or reduced price meals shall not be required to:

 

            1.         Work for their meals or milk;

 

            2.         Use a separate lunchroom;

 

            3.         Go through a separate serving line;

 

            4.         Enter the lunchroom through a separate entrance;

 

            5.         Eat meals at a different time; or

 

6.         Eat a different meal from the meal sold to children paying the full price of such a meal or drink milk different from that sold to children paying the full price.

 

That in the operation of the school feeding programs, no child shall be discriminated against because of race, age, sex, color, disability, or national origin.

 

E.         Notice to Parents

 

To send at the beginning of each school year and whenever there is a change in eligibility criteria to the parent/guardian of each child a letter as outline herein, including a form on which to make application for free or reduced price meals.

 

To provide a public release containing the same information supplied to parents to the informational media, the local unemployment office, and to any major employers contemplating large layoffs in the area from which the school draws attendance.

 

F.         Applications

 

To request parents to complete the application for review.

 

Such applications and documentation of action taken will be maintained for three years after the end of the fiscal year to which they pertain.

 

To accept applications at any time during the year and to supply applications to any parent enrolling a child in school for the first time.

 

To transfer applications at any time during the year and to supply applications to any parent enrolling a child in school for the first time.

 

To transfer to and honor eligibility of a child who transfers from one school to another under the jurisdiction of the sponsoring agency.

 

To provide all children from a family with the same benefits. To notify parents and guardians individually within ten working days of the acceptance or denial of their applications and to serve meals immediately upon the establishment of eligibility. To inform parents in writing of reason(s) for rejection of their applications and advise them how to contact the hearing official.

 

G.        Anonymity and Accountability

 

To establish a procedure to collect from children who pay for their meals and milk and to account for the number of free and reduced price and full price meals served and full price milk served. The procedure(s) described in Attachment 4 will be in order that no other child in the school will consciously be made aware, by such procedure, of the identify of the children receiving reduced price meals or free meals.

 

H.        Record

 

To maintain a file of the following records for three years after the end of the fiscal year to which they pertain:

 

            1.         All applications returned and documentation taken; and

 

            2.         Record of all appeals and challenges and their dispositions.

 

 

 

EFB - Free and Reduced Price Food Program.pdf (15 KB)