All Somerset students qualify for free breakfast, lunch

• The Community Eligibility Provision, or CEP, rolls out the first day of school.
• A high percentage of low-income households helped qualify the Somerset County Board of Education for the child nutrition program that offers all students breakfast and lunch at no charge.
• Savings per student who would have paid the full price for meals total at least $3.65 daily, or $657 annually.
• The Somerset County public school district is currently the only one in Maryland with CEP system-wide.

Cafeteria meals at schools have long been free or reduced in price to students in poor households, and now they will be offered free to all students at Somerset County schools.

In the county, 20.4 percent of households are below the poverty level, with 72 percent of nearly 3,000 students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals.

Having the state's highest percentage of low-income households has helped qualify the Somerset County Board of Education for a federal child nutrition program that provides meals at no cost to all students, regardless of household income.

The Community Eligibility Provision rolls out the first day of school, removing the stigma of poverty tied to students who qualify for free or reduced meals, say school district officials.

"It puts students on an equal playing field," said Leo Lawson, spokesman for Somerset schools. Some students who were income-eligible for free or reduced-priced meals failed to file required forms or applications, he said. "Students would not fill out required paperwork."

Participation relieves financial stress on families with more than one child in the school system that did not qualify for a free or reduced-fee meal, officials said. It especially benefits families in and around Crisfield, with three county schools, and where Hurricane Sandy two years ago destroyed homes and businesses.

"There is significant unemployment in the county, and the county was hit hard by a natural disaster," Lawson said. "This is an opportunity to benefit by two good nutritious meals at the schools."

Savings per student who would have paid full price for breakfast and lunch total at least $3.65 daily, or a minimum of $657 annually, based on the price structure during a 180-day school calendar. Students qualifying for reduced-meal prices would save 70 cents a day and $126 annually.

"Many parents have multiple students in the school system, and it was costly," Lawson added. "This helps household budgets."

The Community Eligibility Provision, established by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, launched in six states and Washington between 2011 and 2013, according to joint report by the Food Research and Action Center and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

It rolls out in the upcoming academic year in all eligible school districts nationwide, although Lawson said participation at all nine Somerset public schools makes the Lower Shore district the only one currently in Maryland offering the program system-wide.

"We are excited at what this program means for our school community and larger community as a whole," said Somerset Superintendent John Gaddis. "Knowing that our students will be able to take advantage of healthy meals at no cost, will positively impact families' personal budgets as well as make sure our students are not sitting hungry in our classrooms."

Research shows participation in the Community Eligibility Provision has increased the number of students who eat breakfast and lunch at school, with average lunch participation increased by an average 13 percent at schools parcipating in the program at least two years. The average increase for breakfast participation jumped 25 percent, research also shows.

Documentation tied to qualifying eligible students for free or reduced-price meals is not required with CEP, Lawson said. The initiative also would save food service money, he added. The local school district's financially struggling food service division currently is operating at a $70,000 deficit, he said. Revenues from the meal's program were about $1.5 million at the end of the school year.

"In addition, it reduces administrative work by eliminating the need to qualify students for free and reduced meals," Lawson said. The Food and Nutrition Service program "will improve financially."

Lawson said parents of students enrolled in a county school will be asked to complete a form that could qualify the school district for other federal programs worth millions of dollars.

A formal announcement and more details about the Community Eligibility Provision, administered through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, will be made at an Aug. 28 celebration at Somerset Intermediate School.