Bethlehem to offer universal free school meals under Provision 2 next school year

The Bethlehem Central School District will offer universal free breakfast and lunch to every student in the 2025–26 school year under Provision 2, the district’s food service director told the Board of Education.

The district’s food service director said the change follows state budget action that makes universal free meals available statewide and that the district will operate year 1 (the “base year”) in 2025–26, during which all students will eat for free while the district continues to collect free-and-reduced-price lunch applications to set reimbursement levels for years 2–4.

The move matters because it changes how meals are funded and counted. The director explained that Bethlehem has not met the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) threshold in prior years (CEP requires 25% identified students; Bethlehem was about 15.6% free in the presentation). Under Provision 2, all students receive free meals during the base and subsequent non‑base years and the state will cover the funding gap beginning in 2025–26 so meals are reimbursed at the free…