New federal initiative eliminates applications so youngsters don’t go hungry
Students at 169 HISD schools will be able to eat lunch for no charge this year, regardless of their income, thanks to a new federal initiative that became available to all states and eligible schools July 1.
“This new program is a wonderful opportunity for HISD students and families,” said Audene Chung, HISD’s Nutrition Services administrator. “By eliminating the need to qualify students through an application, we hope more children will take advantage of our healthy breakfast and lunch menus.”
HISD has already offered free breakfast to all students since 2010. This push to expand the free lunch program, known as the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), is just the latest step to ensure low-income students don’t go hungry.
HISD has been working with the state to ensure as many students as possible benefit. The 169 campuses identified to participate in the program during this school year were selected based on a formula that includes a variety of economic data. To be included, HISD determined schools needed to have 51 percent of their students direct-certified through participation in federal programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. These locations tended to have a free/reduced meal percentage of at least 90 percent for last year.
While not all campuses will be in the program this year, Chung said the school district will continue to look at data to ensure that all eligible campuses may benefit.
“We are looking forward to rolling this out during the new school year,” Chung said. “We think there will be many benefits, including reducing any stigma students might find associated with free meals. Regardless of income, all students at participating schools will be able to eat well.”
Currently, about 170,000 or 81 percent of HISD students qualified for a free or a reduced-price lunch last year. A discounted lunch costs 40 cents, compared with a full price of $2.25.
HISD is able to make the program available under the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has been piloting the program in states and school districts, including Detroit and Chicago, since 2011. This is the first year that it is being expanded to include all states and schools that meet the requirements.
“Our main goal is to ensure students eat healthy meals so they can stay focused on learning throughout the school day,” said Nan Cramer, HISD dietitian. “Our chefs do an amazing job creating menus that are nutritious and tasty and now more students will benefit.”
Chung said she is committed to implementing the program as smoothly as possible. For the most part, families at participating schools won’t see any big changes, except the benefit of not paying for lunches.
Although the school district will no longer collect the traditional school meal application, it will still ask parents to fill out a CEP form to help collect the socioeconomic data needed to determine other sources of state and federal funding.
Principals will provide these CEP forms as they have in the past with the school lunch applications, usually in packets sent home with students during the first week of school.
HISD officials hope more students at the 169 campuses will eat the cafeteria lunches now that they are free. How much the participation rate may increase is speculation, but Chung estimates the highest numbers may come from the high school campuses, where the stigma of eating school meals has a greater impact on participation.The Food Research and Action Center, an organization that promotes in-school meals, says schools that piloted the community eligibility provision, saw an increase in lunch and breakfast participation. CEP also eliminated the uncollected student meal balances issue.
Chung hopes the program will have similar impacts in HISD. “Students will be able to eat nutritious meals every day at school without having to worry about whether their parents filled out an application or have the money to pay,” she said. “This is one more way for the district to keep our students focused on academic achievement.”
HISD schools included in the free-lunch program for 2014-2015 are:
Elementary Schools:
| Alcott Almeda Anderson Atherton Barrick Bastian Bellfort Benavidez Berry Blackshear Bonham Bonner Braeburn Briscoe Brookline Browning Bruce Burbank Burnet Burrus Cage Carrillo Codwell Cook Coop Crespo Crockett Cunningham Davila Dechaumes Dogan Durkee Eliot Elmore Elrod Emerson Farias Early Childhood Foerster Fondren Fonwood Foster Franklin Frost |
Gallegos Garcia Golfcrest Gregg Grissom Gross Halpin Harper Alternative Harris, J.R. Harris, R.P. Hartsfield Helms Henderson, J.P. Henderson, N.Q. Herrera Highland Heights Hilliard Hobby Inspired for Excellence West Isaacs Janowski Jefferson Kandy Stripe Academy Kashmere Gardens Kelso Kennedy Ketelsen Laurenzo Early Childhood Law Lewis Lockhart Looscan MacGregor Mading Marshall Martinez, C. Martinez, R. McGowan McNamara Milne Mistral Early Childhood Mitchell Montgomery |
Moreno Neff Neff Early Childhood Center Northline Osborne Paige Peck Petersen Pilgrim Academy Piney Point Pleasantville Port of Houston Pugh Reagan Reynolds Robinson Rodriguez Ross Rusk Sanchez Scarborough Scroggins Seguin Shadydale Shearn Sherman Smith Southmayd Stevens Sutton Thompson Tijerina Tinsley TSU Charter Lab Valley West Wesley Whidby White Windsor Village Woodson Young Young Scholars |
Middle Schools:
| Attucks Burbank Cullen Deady Dowling Fleming Fondren Fonville Forest Brook |
Gregory-Lincoln Hartman Henry Hogg Holland Jackson Key Marshall |
McReynolds Ortiz Project Chrysalis Stevenson Sugar Grove Academy Thomas Welch Williams |
High Schools:
| Beechnut Academy Furr Hope Academy High School Ahead Academy Jones Kashmere |
Lee Milby North Forest REACH Charter South Early |
Sterling Washington Wheatley Worthing Yates |
This is good news for our 166 schools. And I hope HISD continues to expand this program to all of our students in all schools regardless of income and not just selected areas.
Question: Since free and reduced meal applications will no longer be required at these schools (specifically high schools), how will students determine eligibility for ACT and SAT waivers, as well as waivers of application fees to apply to some colleges? (These were typically based on free and reduced lunch eligibility)
Although the school district will no longer collect the traditional school meal application, it will still ask parents to fill out a CEP form to help collect the socioeconomic data needed to determine other sources of state and federal funding. This will also serve as the fee waiver form.
I couldn’t disagree more. When aired on the news, school officials appeared to justify the program by saying that it would provide the nourishment kids need to get good grades…or something to that effect. Yet another situation where the government is throwing money at a program to remedy issues that are the parent’s responsibility! Just because it is supposedly paid for by the USDA who do you think they get their money from?! I have a child with significant speech issues due to a craniofacial birth defect who could benefit greatly from preschool. But noooooo, I make too much money so I would have to pay for that. No thanks, we’ll just pay for private classes.
What happened to teaching a man to fish as opposed to giving him one?
I guess personal responsibility is dead and gone.
Kudos for providing food for children in the US…no child should be without food in the US, regardless of family income or decisions parents choose to do or not to do with their money. Not sure why this program is not extended to all schools. All school aged children should have food to eat. I vote for my tax dollars supporting this initiative.
Why is Westbury not on the list? According to demographic information, 77% of students are on free and reduced lunch.
To be included, HISD determined schools needed to have 51 percent of their students direct-certified through participation in federal programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. These locations tended to have a free/reduced meal percentage of at least 90 percent for last year.
While not all campuses will be in the program this year, the school district will continue to look at data to ensure that all eligible campuses may benefit.