USDA Free Meals Waivers to End
The USDA free meals waivers were not renewed by the federal government and will end with the close of this school year. These waivers allowed schools to serve free meals to all students during the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Next year, schools will return to the regular National School Lunch and Breakfast programs where students have a free, reduced or paid meal status.
This has large implications for the Nutrition Services Department as well as the families in our district. With the help of JSD schools, the Nutrition Services Department will plan to focus efforts on communicating to families this change as well as the need to apply for free/reduced meals (if they qualify) after July 1st for the 2022-23 school year. Nutrition Services anticipates meal prices will remain the same for this next school year.
Due to the return of National School Lunch Federal regulations, the following changes will occur:
- Families will need to fill out the free/reduced application and qualify to receive free/reduced meals. Applications will need to be filled out after July 1st to qualify for the 2022-23 school year.
- Virtual learners will not be able to receive meals. Students will need to be enrolled in a brick and mortar site to receive meals.
- Students will need to be onsite and receive instruction to receive meals, i.e. schools will not be able to provide meals on professional development days because there is no instruction for students.
- There will be no grab and go options, meals are to be served and eaten on site.
- There will be no meal service time exceptions, meals will need to be served during the times originally provided to the state.
- Siblings of enrolled students will no longer be able to receive free meals.