Ahead of the new school year, Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow is expanding the eligibility for free school meals.
This means that if you didnt qualify for free and reduced lunch back in 2019, you may now, and Superintendent Balow is encouraging Virginia families to apply again.
“School meals are important sources of nutrition for students and help reduce food insecurity in the commonwealth,” Balow said. “I urge all families to apply to determine if they qualify. Filling out an application is simple and takes less than 15 minutes.”
Through funding provided by the General Assembly in the state budget, students with families at or below 185% of the federal poverty level are eligible for free meals. This means a family of four has to make at or less than $51,337 a year to qualify for free lunches.
Previously, a family of four had to make at or less than $36,075 a year, or 130% of the poverty level, to be eligible for free meals.
That's a $15,262 difference, meaning hundreds of more families will qualify. The Virginia Department of Education estimates about 64,000 more kids will be eating for free due to this policy change.
Hampton Roads educators say food security is critical for learning.
"When the stomach is full and the belly is full, they're not concentrating on their person they're concentrating on what's being taught in the classroom," said Vicka Harrison with the Virginia Beach City Public School's Office of Food Services. "And it makes the job of the educator a lot easier as well because the focus is there, the mind is like a sponge, they're absorbing better."
During the height of the pandemic, all students were guaranteed a free lunch. But the emergency federal flexibility that allowed free meals for students expired at the end of the 2021-2022 school year.
Moving forward, many Virginia schools will now require applications and use the family income to determine eligibility for free, reduced-price, or paid meals.
Students are automatically eligible for free meals if anyone in their household receives benefits such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, or Medicaid. Families will be notified by their school districts if their child is automatically eligible.
Many Virginia schools and divisions use a program called the Community Eligibility Provision to serve free meals to all students. This year, the city of Virginia Beach has 27 schools as part of the CEP program, including Bayside High School. In the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth, all public schools are part of the CEP program. Families can contact their local school divisions to see if they are part of the program.
“It’s more important than ever for families to apply for free school meals. If no application is on file, students will need to pay for meals on the first day of school and may start to accrue meal debt," said VDOE School Nutrition Director Sandy Curwood. “And the good news is, if you qualify, free meals are seamless. Students will access their meals in the cafeteria with a pin number or a lunch card, with no overt identification. Please apply now.”
Filling out a free form may help families qualify for additional benefits including discounted exam fees and college applications, extracurricular and scholarship opportunities.
Families can reach out to their local school nutrition department with questions regarding to the free meal application form.
Virginia Beach families can find the application here.
Chesapeake families can find an application here.
Hampton families can find an application here.
Newport News families can find an application here.
