Garrett County schools certified for free meals systemwide as board approves grocery, chemical contracts and purchasing-group membership

The Garrett County Public Schools Board of Education approved contracts for grocery and janitorial-chemical supplies and voted to join a purchasing cooperative, and district officials announced the system received federal certification to provide free meals to all enrolled students next school year.

The district accepted grocery bids from AF Wendling / Gordon Foodservice and janitorial/chemical supplies from Janitor Supply and approved participation in HPS Incorporated, a school food-service purchasing program tied to the Gordon Foodservice submission. Later in the meeting, the district announced its Community Eligibility Program (CEP) application had been certified; the certification will allow the system to serve free breakfast and lunch to every enrolled student without meal applications.

CEP certification and immediate operational changes. "We were notified this morning that our application for the Community Eligibility Program was certified, which means that we will be able to offer students free meals,…