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Board votes to pursue community eligibility so all Surry County students can receive free school meals
Summary
The board approved moving forward with the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) application to provide free school meals K–12 after staff showed the districtwide identified student percentage meets program thresholds when schools are averaged; staff cautioned reimbursement depends on student participation.
School nutrition staff presented the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) framework and the district’s identified student population (ISP) calculations. Using April data and averaging across schools, staff reported a district ISP around 95.86%, which would qualify the district to offer free breakfast and lunch to all students K–12 and draw reimbursement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the North Carolina DPI system.
Nutrition staff warned that federal reimbursement is tied to participation: if large numbers of students do not participate in school meals, the district still must pay fixed operating costs (labor, food purchases) and, in the short term, some schools carry outstanding meal charge balances. Staff outlined existing "angel" donation funds and the process for schools to solicit community donations to reduce outstanding balances. Trustees voted to approve pursuing CEP for 2024–25 and directed staff to finalize the application and return with final financials and a plan to encourage participation and cover any transitional charges.
