3 more Columbus schools to offer free meals to all students

Three more Columbus schools will offer free lunch and breakfast to all students, regardless of their family’s income or whether they sought the benefit.

As of the 2017-18 school year, Blanchard Elementary School, Midland Academy and Shaw High School will be among 41 out of the 53 schools in the Muscogee County School District providing the opportunity that comes from the Community Eligibility Provision in the federal Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.

During its monthly meeting Monday night, the Muscogee County School Board unanimously approved superintendent David Lewis’ recommendation to add those three schools to the CEP list. To become a CEP school, at least 40 percent of the students must qualify for free meals.

CEP’s purpose is to increase the number of students eating healthy meals at school by eliminating the burden – and sometimes embarrassment – of parents and guardians being required to apply for free or reduced-price meals for their children.

Here are the current CEP schools in the Muscogee County School District:

Elementary schools: Allen, Brewer, Davis, Dawson, Dimon, Dorothy Height, Downtown, Forrest Road, Fox, Gentian, Georgetown, Hannan, Johnson, Key, Lonnie Jackson, Martin Luther King Jr., Reese Road, Rigdon Road, River Road, South Columbus, St. Marys Road, Waddell, Wesley Heights and Wynnton.

Middle schools: Arnold, Baker, Double Churches, East Columbus, Eddy, Fort, Richards and Rothschild.

High schools: Carver, Early College, Hardaway, Jordan, Kendrick and Spencer.

The maximum household income for students to be eligible for free lunch in Georgia this school year is $31,590 for a family of four, according to the Georgia Department of Education. The threshold varies according to the family’s size.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture was phased CEP over three years, starting in July 2011, with pilot programs in Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Ohio, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. CEP became a nationwide program in July 2014.

This story was originally published May 17, 2017 at 1:39 PM with the headline "3 more Columbus schools to offer free meals to all students."