Seymour Community School Corp. has been approved for a four-year Community Eligibility Provision cycle, meaning free breakfast and lunch for students at five schools in Seymour.

At the June 13 board of education meeting, Stacey Townsend, the corporation’s food service director, requested the board to approve 2023-24 school meal prices.

“For the 2023-24 school year, we would like to apply for a new four-year CEP cycle that would include Margaret R. Brown Elementary, Seymour-Jackson Elementary, Seymour-Redding Elementary, Seymour Intermediate and Seymour Middle School,” she said. “This would mean free breakfast and free lunch for all students at those five schools.”

Townsend said when it’s offered, the Universal Free Breakfast breakfast is available to all students at no charge regardless of household income.

“Although breakfast is given for free to any student who wants it, the meals are claimed for reimbursement at the correct income category by student (paid, reduced or free),” she said. “Universal Free Breakfast works best in school districts like ours where a high percentage of students already qualify for free or reduced-price meals.”

She said it’s an allowable cost for food service funds to be used to cover any financial shortfalls of offering free breakfast meals to students; however, increased meal participation often helps offset any financial burden.

“It’s recommended to offer Universal Free Breakfast at Cortland Elementary, Emerson Elementary and Seymour High School,” Townsend told the board. “All SCSC students will have access to free breakfast through CEP or Universal Free Breakfast.”

She said student-paid prices are based on the paid lunch equity calculation, which requires prices be increased annually to keep pace with federal reimbursement rates.

“Once again, the USDA is offering a PLE exemption waiver, allowing school food authorities operating with a positive fund balance to maintain student meal prices with no increase,” Townsend said. “It’s recommended to apply for this waiver to keep the student paid price at $2.55 for lunch, which is what they have paid for the last six years.”

She said 4 percent of the student population qualifies for reduced-price meals. Since the 2019-20 school year, Seymour Community School Corp. has provided meals for reduced-price eligible students at no cost.

Townsend said each year, the USDA provides guidance to school food service authorities on setting prices for student meals. She shared a summary of anticipated pricing information, based on current USDA data.

“The first one is CEP, or Community Eligibility Provision, which is the program that has provided free meals for all students at Margaret R. Brown and Jackson elementary schools for the last several school years,” she said. “CEP is based on the number of enrolled students in each school building that qualify for other financial assistance, such as SNAP (food stamps) or Medicaid.”

According to in.gov/doe/nutrition/community-eligibility-provision, CEP is a nonpricing meal service option for schools and school districts in low-income areas. It allows the nation’s highest poverty schools and districts to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students without collecting household applications.

Instead, schools that 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 the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

Townsend said over the past year as the economy has changed, there have been more and more students qualifying for assistance programs at Seymour schools.