CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Families with students in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools district can soon apply for free or reduced-price lunch for the upcoming school year.
The district said Thursday the online application system will open on Aug. 1 on the district's School Nutrition Services web page. The return to the application system comes as federal waivers for free school lunches during the pandemic come to an end.
Some families will not need to apply, however; 68 CMS schools are part of the Community Eligibility Program (CEP), which means all students at those campuses automatically get free lunch. The district is thus asking parents and guardians with children attending non-CEP campuses who may qualify to apply.
The district also notes submitting the application could allow the student to qualify for discounted fees for college applications, pay-to-play athletics, and for the ACT and SAT tests.
Free lunches for the summer were included in a recent bill that became federal law, but an amendment that would have let kids eligible for such programs continue to get lunch for free ultimately was removed from the final bipartisan agreement in the Senate.
CMS School Board chair Elyse Dashew told WCNC Charlotte late in June she and other district representatives advocated for the summer extension of the lunch waivers with North Carolina's senators in Washington. As part of the new law, schools will also get additional funding for each breakfast and lunch served.
Nutrition is another focus not just for schools, but for health advocates as well. Mecklenburg County Public Health estimates about 15% of households are deemed food insecure