TEXAS, USA — For the past two years, all students in Hays County schools have been able to get free meals, but that is changing this year. This is because the federal pandemic relief funding that allowed for these free meals is no longer available.
Five of the 26 Hays CISD schools will continue to have free meals through another program. But for the remaining schools, prices will go back to what they were before the pandemic, despite increasing supply costs.
Free and reduced-price school meals are still available, you just have to apply and be deemed eligible.
Tim Savoy, the spokesperson for Hays CISD, said there is a big need for these programs and that about half of the district’s students will qualify for the free or reduced-price lunch. He is encouraging everyone to apply, even if you are not sure if you are eligible, because he knows people are currently experiencing financially hard times.
“We’re kind of in an economic situation where other things are expensive -- gas you know, all the prices are going up,” said Savoy. “So, this is going to be tough, I know, for a lot of families to have to make the adjustment.”
You can apply for free and reduced-price lunch in Hays CISD on their website.
Since this was federal funding that has stopped, many other school districts in Central Texas are in the same situation and have had to adjust their school meal plans for this year.
KVUE reached out to Central Texas school districts to learn their plans for school meals in the upcoming year. These were their responses:
Austin ISD
Currently around 60% of our students qualify for free or reduced-price meals; many of our students rely on school meals as their primary source of nutrition. Following the expiration of the USDA waivers, we are no longer able to provide free meals for all students, however, many AISD students may qualify for free or reduced-price meals through various programs."
Students automatically receive free school meals in AISD through any of the following programs:
- Enrollment at one of the 76 AISD schools participating in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program.
- The student is directly certified through state-funded benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Apply at www.yourtexasbenefits.com.
- The student is directly certified through foster care; migrant, homeless, or runaway programs; Head Start, or state-sponsored pre-K programs.
If a student does not qualify through any of the programs above, they encourage families to complete an AISD Meal Benefits Application to determine eligibility for free or reduced-price meals. Online applications should go live around Aug. 1 and paper applications will be dropped off to schools that are not a part of the CEP program.
Students not eligible for free or reduced-price meals may purchase school breakfast and lunch meals.
Bastrop ISD
Bastrop ISD is pleased to announce that our elementary, intermediate and middle schools will provide free breakfast and lunch to all students under the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program for the 2022-23 school year. These 10 schools qualify to operate the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) to ensure students receive nutritious meals at no cost to families.
If you are the parent of a high school student, you must complete the Free and Reduced-Price Meal Application to access free and reduced-price meals. In addition, there are important benefits for the district and your child such as grants, program funding, athletic waivers, college testing waivers, textbook assistance, and more. BISD receives critical federal, state and grant funding based on the completion of the meal application forms.
Burnet CISD
With the expiration of USDA’s flexibilities districts we will no longer be authorized to operate the Summer Meal Programs during the school year, which allowed all students to eat at no charge for breakfast and lunch.
For SY 22-23, Burnet CISD is eligible to operate the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) at Shady Grove Elementary, R.J. Richey Elementary, and Bertram Elementary and has elected to participate in this provision. The great news is students enrolled at those campuses will continue to eat all meals at no cost.
Burnet Middle School, Burnet High School and Quest High School do not meet the requirements to operate this provision; therefore, the district will implement all pre-COVID procedures. Household applications are easily accessible at www.schoolcafe.com and families are encouraged to apply for those benefits as soon as possible. The district will be offering free breakfast to all students at the secondary campuses. Burnet Middle School student lunch price will be $2.60 and Burnet High School and Quest High School student lunch prices will be $2.85. Even with all the inflation costs Burnet CISD felt it was important to reduce the financial impact on families by leaving the lunch rates the same as they were pre-Covid. We strive to have increased participation and encourage our students to eat each day to ensure they are fueled to learn.
Eanes ISD
Our campuses will utilize the regular income eligibility application process to apply for Free/Reduced meals. The federal government sets the guidelines to qualify for Free/Reduced meals and sends them to districts through the Texas Department of Agriculture. Basically, we are reverting to the previous process of determining eligibility for Free/Reduced meals that we used before COVID. We are updating the forms but families will be able to access the forms here soon.
Elgin ISD
USDA last year provided waivers to enable school nutrition programs to serve public school students free breakfast and lunch during the 2021-22 school year. However, waivers were not extended for the upcoming school year, so Elgin ISD will return to regularly priced lunches for the 2022-23 school year. Breakfast meals will remain free of charge to students. We encourage all parents to fill out meal benefit applications, which will become available online at www.elginisd.net/meals on Aug. 1, 2022.
Georgetown ISD
The process for qualification is the same for all public schools and families. Eligible families qualify according to federal guidelines. You can view the eligibility information and application on our website. We always encourage families to complete this form -- even during the pandemic -- because this one form qualifies them for so much more. Our free/reduced lunch flyer shows how families can benefit in a number of ways. We include this in our enrollment campaigns and back-to-school materials. Meal prices were approved at our June board meeting and available to view online as well.
Hutto ISD
We will continue to offer free breakfast to all students in the 22-23 school year. Hutto ISD must return to charging for lunch--offering free and reduced-price lunch based on student eligibility. Starting on August 15, 2022, Hutto ISD will begin distributing letters and applications to the households of the children in the district about eligibility benefits.
Criteria for Free and Reduced-Price Meal Benefits:
Income Eligibility
1. Household income that is at or below the income eligibility levels
Categorical or Automatic Eligibility
2. Household receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)
Program Participant Eligibility
3. Child’s status as a foster child, homeless, runaway, migrant, or displaced by a declared disaster
4. Child’s enrollment in Head Start or Even Start
Families are encouraged to complete the Application for Free and Reduced-Price School Meals, also available at https://www.myschoolapps.com and return the completed form online or to any school office.
Johnson City ISD
Johnson City ISD leaders said the federal funding being halted is having a negative impact and that this upcoming year they are using the National School Lunch Program. They recommend that all students apply. Only students that qualify for free or reduced lunches will get free or reduced lunches.
The links to apply:
Lago Vista ISD
Lago Vista ISD has posted reminders and has added a registration form to our online packet for parents to indicate their understanding that, beginning with the 2022-23 school year, students must once again qualify to receive free and reduced-priced meals. The federal application for the National School Lunch Program opens on July 28 and is available in English and in Spanish. We will also send targeted reminders to the parents of students who have qualified in the past.
Lake Travis ISD
We will be resuming our National School Breakfast and Lunch Program with student pricing. Students districtwide will be required to apply to our free and reduced-price meal program.
Leander ISD
For the 2022-23 school year, students who qualify for reduced-price breakfast and lunch will be $0.00. For more information about our meal services to include details about the free/reduced meals and the form to apply for them, click here.
Liberty Hill ISD
We are promoting and asking all families to apply for the free/reduced meal program and those who qualify will receive free meals. Meal Applications are open and available here.
Lockhart ISD
All students PreK-8th will have free meals. Lockhart ISD applied for high school students to be able to access free meals and is awaiting approval from the state.
Manor ISD
Manor ISD will continue to offer free meals next school year to all of our scholars by using the community eligibility provision (CEP). For additional information about CEP, you can click here.
Round Rock ISD
Round Rock ISD Food Services program will return to normal operations for the 2022-23 school year, as the emergency waiver offering free school meals for USDA Food and Nutrition Service programs ended June 30, 2022. Students will resume paying for meals by meal status: Free, reduced or paid. Eligibility status will roll over for the first 30 days of school, but families are encouraged to submit a new 2022-23 Free and Reduced Meal Application. Application information, eligibility criteria and more can be found here.
San Marcos CISD
Information on free and reduced-price meals at San Marcos CISD can be found here.
Seguin ISD
All students enrolled in Seguin ISD will still eat free meals for the 2022-23 school year because we opted into the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). No meal applications are needed or will be available.
Taylor ISD
We are returning to free/reduced/full price lunch for next year. Here is the link to apply for free/reduced lunch.
Wimberly ISD
With the USDA discontinuing its free meal program, we're back to paid meals or providing free/reduced meals based on the family's financial situation and/or the benefits that they are currently receiving from the state. In terms of who is receiving free or reduced-price meals, we don't have a certain threshold or cut-off to see "who" is eligible -- that is determined by the USDA. It's for that reason that we encourage our families to apply if they think they might be eligible. We'll be posting the application form for the 22-23 school year on our website on Monday.
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