Who: Missouri Public Schools
What:
Almost 400 individual school buildings in Missouri participate in a program for high-need communities which allows the service of free meals to all students. The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) eliminates need for individual students to apply for free and reduced meal programs.
Rather than collect individual applications, CEP schools may apply for federal reimbursement that is based partly on the number of students “directly certified” — mostly students in families enrolled in SNAP or TANF. Students who are homeless or living in foster care may also be directly certified. Schools in which at least 2 in 5 students (40 percent) are directly certified may participate in CEP.
Schools are federally reimbursed based on the number of students directly certified divided by the total number of students at the school. This is called the Identified Student Percentage (ISP). The ISP is multiplied by 1.6 to determine the percentage of meals served that will be reimbursed at the federal free meal rate. The remainder of meals served will be reimbursed at the federal paid meal rate. A group of schools using CEP receives school meal reimbursements based on the total enrollment and total ISPs of all schools in the group. For example, a group of schools with a total ISP of 50% will have 80% of their served meals reimbursed at the free meal reimbursement rate (50% x 1.6 = 80%), and the remaining 20% of meals served will be reimbursed at federal paid rate.
Economic conditions in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic may have made more school districts eligible to implement CEP for the 2022-2023 school year. Schools newly participating in CEP may offer free meals for up to 4 years without requiring the student families to fill out a household financial applications.
Why:
- Reduce administrative burden/paperwork for school staff.
- Increase school meal participation
- Eliminate stigma because all students can get a meal
- Maximizes federal reimbursement
- Eliminates unpaid balances for school meals
Steps:
Schools interested in CEP should work with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, which oversees the program in our state.
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