Wednesday, September 06, 2000
Reduced price offered on meals
Students need food to study well at school
By Jennifer Mrozowski
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Kids' brains need to be fed with both ideas and nutrients, and educators want parents to know how to qualify for the free and reduced school lunch programs that help keep the nation's minds well-fed.
The Kentucky Department of Education is buying commercial radio time to advertise the federally assisted program, while both the Kentucky and Ohio departments of education are distributing information widely.
“This is not just a welfare program,” said Paul McElwain, director in the Division of School and Community Nutrition of the Kentucky Department of Education. “This is a program for all children.”
The National School Lunch Act was established in 1946 under President Truman.
School districts that participate get cash subsidies and donated commodities from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for each meal served.
Last year, about 27 million children received nutritionally balanced meals through the school lunch program. Of those, more than 57 percent, or 15.4 million, were receiving free or reduced lunches.
Schools are accepting applications from parents or guardians who think their children may qualify for free or reduced meals. Family incomes determine whether children qualify for price reductions.
Children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the poverty level are eligible for free meals. Households between 130 percent and 185 percent of the poverty level are eligible for reduced price meals, and students can pay no more than 40 cents for those, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The application is confidential and will be used only for the purpose of eligibility.
In Covington Independent Schools, for example, children can prepay for their lunches, said Phyllis Martin, general director for food service.
When they go through the lunch line, all students give the cashier a code. That code determines whether the children qualify for the free of reduced lunch pro gram, but only the cashier is aware who receives free or reduced meals, Ms. Martin said.
“The cashiers know they are never to ask if (the child) receives a free or reduced lunch,” she said.
Furthermore, participation in the program does not restrict a child's food choices.
“They can have any plate lunch offered,” Barbara Duncan, Child Nutrition Services manager at Sycamore Community Schools, said.
Applications for the program can be submitted anytime during the year.
Nutrition specialists say kids need healthy meals to tackle their math problems, scientific experi ments and English term papers.
“Children will not learn or develop physically if they don't have fuel,” Mr. McElwain said.
• Households (including parents, children and other household members) of four people qualify for a free meal if the household income is at or below $22,165 annually. They can qualify for a reduced-price meal if the annual household income is at or below $31,543.
• Households of eight people qualify for free meals if the annual income is at or below $37,245 or for a reduced-price meal if the annual income is at or below $53,003.
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