Free Meals for students for 2024-2025 school year.
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Launch the media gallery 1 playerI'm excited to announce that all students at Sargent Public Schools will receive free student meals for the 2024-2025 school year! Thanks to our participation in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), every student in grades PK-12 will enjoy free breakfast and lunch.
What is the Community Eligibility Provision? The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a program from the Nebraska Department of Education Food Services. It enables schools to offer free, nutritious meals to all students through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. This program relies on data from other assistance programs like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families).
Under CEP, we must serve reimbursable meals, which means students need to choose at least three of the five food groups, including at least ½ cup of fruit or vegetables. While students aren’t required to eat everything on their tray, this minimum is needed for the meal to be reimbursed by the State of Nebraska and the USDA. Please note that families will be charged for extra milk and ala carte items, as this is not covered under CEP. Students bringing their own lunch will also need to pay for milk.
We believe this program will have a positive impact on our students and community by ensuring access to nutritious meals throughout the school day. If you have any questions about CEP or the free meal program, please contact Robin Dowse at the school office at 308-527-4119.
Byron Olsen