Community Eligibility Provision and/or Provision 2
The Board of Education recognizes that the nutrition of district students is an important factor in their educational progress. The district therefore participates in federally-funded school meal programs. As required by state law, the district provides free meals to all students by adopting either the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), Provision 2 (P2), or a combination of these provisions, to maximize the federal reimbursement.
Individual schools, or groupings of schools, are eligible for CEP if the “Identified Student Percentage” (ISP) is at least 25%. “Identified Students” are those who are eligible for free meals because they are directly certified under programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), or the student lives in a household where a student is directly certified (“household extension”). Identified Students also include those who are “categorically” eligible, such as students who are homeless, migrant, foster, or runaway, or those participating in Head Start/Even Start programs.
If the schools in the district do not qualify to adopt CEP as a single entity, the district will determine the combination of schools grouped to participate in CEP or P2 to maximize CEP participation. The district will reapply annually for CEP if it would result in a higher ISP.
Schools adopting CEP serve both breakfast and lunch to all students at no charge. Schools adopting P2 serve breakfast and/or lunch to all students at no charge. However, state law requires that all schools containing grades K6, and all schools considered “severe need” (i.e., that served at least 40% of lunches the prior year to students eligible for free or reduced-price meals) must serve breakfast, unless granted a waiver by the State Education Department.
Maximizing Eligibility
The district will maximize the number of students who are eligible for free meals. At least three times a year (at the start of school, during December or January, and April), the district will conduct the Direct Certification Matching Process. The district will also designate children who are eligible for free meals through household extension or categorical eligibility.
When household applications for free or reduced-price meals are not required (i.e., during CEP years or P2 non-base years), the district will encourage families to submit household income eligibility forms, to assist them in applying for other benefits to which they may be entitled.
The district will conduct outreach activities to provide students and their families with information about SNAP availability, eligibility requirements, and the enrollment process, to maximize direct certification for free school meals. These activities may be coordinated within existing communication channels and activities. The district will provide application assistance or direct referral to outreach partners. This must include at least one of the following: direct referrals to local SNAP outreach providers; distribution of SNAP educational materials during school registration or other appropriate venues accessible to families; and/or direct referrals to local social services districts).
Ref:
8505 – “Charging” Meals and Other Food Items
National School Lunch Act of 1946, as amended, (42 U.S.C. §§1751-1760)
Child Nutrition Act of 1966, as amended, (42 USC §§1771 et seq.) Education Law §915-a Social Services Law §95(7)
7 CFR Part 245 (245.2, free and reduced price meals; 245.5, public announcement; 245.6, direct certification; 245.9, Community Eligibility Provision, Provision 2)
8 NYCRR §114.6
Reviewed: August 28, 2017
Revised: October 15, 2019
Revised: September 29, 2020
Revised: June 8, 2026