Update About School Meals In The 2022-23 Academic Year

On July 11, KCS Executive Director of School Nutrition Brett Foster shared the following message with families:

Dear KCS families,

We wanted to send a reminder about some important changes regarding school meals in the 2022-23 school year. Since the Fall of 2020, KCS has provided breakfast and lunch meals to students at no cost, regardless of income status or school attended. This was made possible by waivers provided by the federal government.

However, the federal government has not extended the waivers necessary to continue this program. As a result, the only students who will receive no-cost or reduced-price meals during the 2022-23 school year are those whose free and reduced-price meal application has been approved, or those who attend a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school. 

Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a non-pricing meal service option for schools and school districts in low-income areas. CEP allows the nation’s highest-poverty schools and districts to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students without collecting household applications.

The district schools listed below have been designated as CEP schools during the 2022-23 school year. If your student’s school is not listed below, but you would like to apply for free or reduced-price meals, you can submit an application at www.lunchapplication.com.

In the upcoming school year, the cost for meals will be as follows:

Breakfast – $2
Elementary Lunch – $2.75
Middle / High School Lunch – $3

Sincerely,

Brett Foster
Executive Director of School Nutrition
Knox County Schools

USDA Non-discrimination statement:

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.  

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

1. mail:
    U.S. Department of Agriculture
    Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
    1400 Independence Avenue, SW
    Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
2. fax:
    (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
3. email:
    program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.