Community Eligibility Provision

A: The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a funding option under the National School

Lunch Act that allows eligible schools to provide free meals to all students.

A: No, families do not need to fill out an application for their child to gain eligibility for breakfast

and lunch at no cost. However, families are still encouraged to fill out and send back the

Household Income Eligibility Form, which can be found on the District’s website. Completion of the applications helps the District receive State funding and can provide additional benefits for students and families. Examples of these benefits include district supplied band and orchestra instruments, waived exam fees, and more.

A: With the CEP designation, enrolled students can receive

one healthy breakfast and one nutritious lunch per school day.

A: Yes, snacks and à la carte items (including milk) are available. However, students will need

cash or funds in their prepaid accounts to make these purchases. Also, only the first breakfast

and the first lunch of the day is free.

A: Parents can either request a refund from the Food Services Department or leave the funds

on their student’s account for à la carte items or snacks. Please send an email to

stuechler@gwlufsd.org to request a refund. Please include first name, last name and ID # of the

student. Also, include parent/guardian name and address where the reimbursement check

should be mailed. If there is automatic replenishment on your student's MySchoolBucks

account, please discontinue the feature before requesting meal account reimbursement.

A: According to State guidelines, in order to access the free meal benefit, a child must take what

counts as a full meal, which means choosing at least three of the five components (including a

fruit or vegetable) that make up the meal. Food Services staff will guide your child in

understanding what constitutes a full meal.

A: No, meals and food at schools are not funded by your school tax dollars. Instead, the funding

comes from Federal and State taxes.