DEKALB COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM POLICY STATEMENT FOR ADMINITRATION OF PROGRAM OF FREE AND REDUCED PRICE LUNCHES The DeKalk County School System, in accordance with revised USDA regulations for the National School Lunch and the Child Nutrition Acts, and recognizing the responsibility for the educational needs of boys and girls, and further recognizing the value of the lunch program in the total education program, proposes to cooperate with the National School Lunch Act as it relates to serving free and reduced price lunches. Responsible school officials, including principals and school lunch staffs, pledge to serve meals in all DeKalb school lunchrooms which meet the nutritional requirements without cost or at reduced cost, to all children who are unable to pay the full cost of meals. No discrimination of any type against any child shall be made because of his inability to pay. The Board of Education and the Superintendent of Schools understand that the State Department of Education, School Food Service Unit, has the responsibility for monitoring the performance through administrative reviews, on-site evaluations, and through other means, to assure that determinations are being made in accordance with announced policies and to insure that overt identification of any child receiving free or reduced price meals is avoided. Date: May 5, 1969. Review, State Department of Education: DEKALB COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM, JIM CHERRY, Superintendent. Chief Consultant, School Food Service. Date: May 9, 1969. PROCEDURES FOR ADMINISTERING PROGRAM OF FREE OR REDUCED PRICE LUNCHES I. Identification of economically deprived student's A. Parents or guardian of pupils will submit a formal application for free or reduced price lunch. (See Form LR-FR) B. Students eligible for Family and Childrens' Services are eligible for free or reduced price lunches. (See Form LR-FR) C. Children from families certified for assistance under the Food Stamp Program or Commodity Distribution and children from families participating in any of the various programs of public assistance such as Family Aid to Dependent Children may be given priority for free and reduced price lunches. D. Children from families who for various reasons are not participating in the Food Stamp Program, Food Commodity Distribution or any public assistance program but are at comparable income levels and family size shall be given the same consideration for free and reduced price lunches. E. Children from families with a temporary financial need such as illness or death in the family or other circumstances imposing an economic hardship of the family or a nutritional hardship on the children. Enlisting the cooperation of local health authorities and other community organizations could be helpful in such determinations. F. Needy students may be identified by any school personnel, such as principal, teacher, counselor, dietitian, or others who may have knowledge of the student but the ultimate responsibility for identifying the economically needy children shall rest with the principal. G. The implementation of the free lunch policy is subject to the availability of funds in each school. H. A chart based on family income, family size and number of children in school is provided as an aid in determining free or reduced prices. (See attachment) II. Suggested methods to avoid identification of needy students in collecting and accounting for payments A. No single method of collecting funds and/or identification of needy students is used in the DeKalb School System, but the method being used by all schools would include one or more of the following: 55 The school principal will make the decision as to which pupils will This chart will be used in conjunction with other criteria for evaluating pupils' need and eligibility receive free or reduced price lunches. for reduced price or free lunch. *Children in these brackets will not be eligible for free or reduced prices unless other conditions warrant further consideration. The implementation of this policy is subject to the availability of funds in each school. (1) Cash, tickets, tokens or charges may be used with the free or reduced price lunches. This procedure must apply to paying and non-paying students alike. (2) Cash, tickets, token or charges will be handled privately with students and/or parents for free or reduced price lunches. (3) Lunches served to paying and non-paying students are identical. (4) Paying, needy, or non-paying students are permitted to charge lunches daily. The needy student is advised that the parent has taken care of his charges. In this way, the needy child is frequently unaware that he receives free or reduced price lunches. III. Methods used to avoid discrimination A. Names of children determined to be eligible for free or reduced price meals shall not be published, posted, or announced in any manner to other children, and such children will not be required, as a condition of receiving such meals, to: (1) Use a separate lunchroom (2) Go through a separate serving line (3) Enter the lunchroom through a separate entrance B. Pupils receiving free or reduced price lunches must not be identified in any way in the lunchroom, classroom, playground, or school community. IV. Appeals procedure A. Following the disapproval of a student application for a free or reduced price lunch, the parent or guardian must be notified by the principal. B. The principal shall advise the parent that he has the right to appeal his application to the principal, the superintendent, the DeKalb Board of Education, and the State Board of Education. V. Plans for announcing and publicizing policies and procedures regarding the administration of the program of free and reduced price lunches The Superintendent, following the Board approval of this policy, will announce the methods by which the policies and procedures of the administration of the program of free and reduced price lunches shall be followed. It is the responsibility of the principal of each school to publicize the availability of free and reduced price lunches to the school community. At the time of registration or in the first newsletter to be published following the implementation of this program and in the copy of the first newsletter to be published at the beginning of each school year, each principal will furnish to parents information regarding the food service program, the importance of participating, the lunch prices, and payment procedures, and the policies and procedures for assisting with the lunches for the economically deprived, including the availability of Form #LR-FR, "Request for Free or Reduced Price Lunch." |