All students in Allen Parish will receive free school meals for the upcoming school year and the following three years, regardless of their household income or ability to pay.

The free meal program will begin in August and continue for the next three school years as part of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program, according to Allen Parish Child Nutrition Program Supervisor April Fruge Hall.

The program allows schools in low-income areas to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students without collecting household applications, Hall said. The school district will be reimbursed for the cost of the meals based on the percentage of students eligible for free meals based on their participation in other programs.

“Schools and districts who adopt CEP are reimbursed using a formula based on the percentage of students categorically eligible for free meals based on their participation in other specific means tested programs such as SNAP and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF),” Hall said.

This past school year, Louisiana was one of eight states in a Medicaid demonstration project, which allowed the state to use Medicaid data to directly certify students, she said. Fourteen more states will be added to the project this school year.

“So when we were able to include the Medicaid students in our data, it bumped the schools that were not CEPs in the past over that 40 percent eligibility guideline and got them over the hump,” Hall said.

Under the program, all students will receive free school meals each day, which is one free breakfast and one free lunch through the year 2027.

Any extra food or drink items or second meals will need to be purchased by the student. Parent and guardians can use My School Bucks or send a payment to pay money on their child’s cafeteria account for extra purchases, Hall said.

School staff will continue to pay $3 for lunch and $1.75 for breakfast. Visitors will pay a little bit more for meals, she said. The USDA does not reimburse the district for adult meals.

Hall stressed that school meals are more than a meal for students because of the importance of nutrition.

“Children need food as fuel to perform at their best academically and athletically, so we need to work together to promote school meals,” Hall said. “Research shows that good nutrition for children helps to increase focus and attention span, decrease absenteeism and behavior problems and improve test scores – so it’s a win-win.”

Parents and guardians will not have to fill out any paperwork or applications, Hall said.

Notice of free school meals for students will be posted on the Allen Parish School Board and school websites and on the School Board, school and school nutrition Facebook pages. Notices will also be sent out by Jcalls notices.