• meal benefit and eligibility school year 2020-21

     

    Child Nutrition Program Benefits Information

    Children need healthy meals to learn. Wichita Public Schools offers healthy meals every school day. Your child may qualify for free meals or for reduced price meals. Your household is expected to pay full price for meals for your student(s) until the application is processed; you will be notified when your application is approved or denied. Please verify that your mailing address is correct at your child’s school so you can be notified. If you wish to be notified electronically, please provide a valid email on your application. If you do not receive a letter within ten business days, contact Nutrition Services. Our contact information is at the bottom of this page.
     

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    Meal Prices for the 20-21 School Year

    USD 259 will not be changing student meal prices for the 20-21 school year. Adult/Visitor prices did increase
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    Updated 2/11/21 8 pm
     

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    Meal Benefits Applications

    We encourage you to complete an online Meal Benefits Application! The online application is processed much quicker than a paper application.

     

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    If you have a L'Ouverture or Enterprise student, make sure to check out the CEP section below BEFORE filling out an online application.

     

    You may complete and submit an online application for meal benefits by using one of the following methods:

     

    1. Click the link to the right
    2. Go to the Titan Parent Portal at family.titank12.com on your computer or phone (if you are using a computer, we advise using Google Chrome - Titan is optimized to use this browser)
    3. Download the Titan Family Connect app from your app store

     

    Offering a little assistance in how to figure income for those households that elect to apply for Meal Benefits online, click below for instructions on Figuring Income for Online Application.

     

    Important: Make sure you enter “Wichita Public Schools” for your district.

     

    Updated 7/19/20 4:30 pm

     

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    How to Apply for Meal Benefits Using Titan Parent Portal

    Need a little help? Click on the link to see a video on how to apply for meal benefits using the Titan Parent Portal.
     
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    Benefits of Having a Titan Parent Portal Account When Applying Online

    You will be able to see that you submitted your application, and see when your application is processed.

     

    Directly after submitting your application, if you supplied your email address, you will receive an email with a confirmation code, informing stating that you will need to send money with your children to purchase meals and the application can take 10 days for determination.​

     

    Track Status of Online Application

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    Confirmation Letter Upon Submission

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     Updated 7/20/20 1:30 pm

     

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    Reduce School Fees

     

    Reduce School Fees

    How can my student qualify for reduced school fees? If you want to share your information to be considered for reduced school fees, they must show the bookkeeper one of the options below AND complete the Consent for Disclosure form. This will authorize the school to use your student's meal benefit status to determine which fees to reduce, for the programs you consent.

     

    • Status letter from Nutrition Services (via email or Titan Parent Portal) from your cell phone OR (via mail) physical letter. Status letter must be dated after 7/1/20, from Nutrition Services, showing your student’s name and that they have a status of Free or Reduced. The bookkeeper should not keep your letter.
    • Titan Parent Portal linked student status with Sept NEXT year expiration date, from your cell phone.
    • Confirmation Page printed or screen shot from Online Meal Benefits Application.

     

    Note – The actual Paper Meal Benefits Application is NOT ALLOWED to be used for reduction in school fees. If you elect to submit a paper application, you will need to fill out an Agreement to Pay until your household application is processed.

     

     

    Updated 7/19/20 12:30 pm

     

     

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    Consent for Disclosure

    What is the Consent for Disclosure? This is a form that parents can fill out during district online enrollment that allows their meal eligibility status to be shared to reduce the fees for other programs including textbook and enrollment fees. The Consent for Disclosure must be completed by the parent during online enrollment and can be changed at any time during the year, electronically, in ParentVue. Consent is by student, not by household.

     

    • If the parent checks "no" on this form, then their information cannot be shared with other programs. This also means that the student is not eligible for reduced school fees.
    • If the parent checks "yes" on the form, they also must elect what programs they want their eligibility shared with. This includes school fees.

     

    This is available on the Enrollment website in the Enrollments Forms and Information section, under Textbook and Enrollment Fees. To go to Enrollment Forms and Information on the Enrollment website, click Here

     

    Updated 7/20/20 5 pm

     

     

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    Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)

    What is CEP?

    • CEP basically enables eligible schools to serve free meals to all students who are enrolled at that school, regardless of income

     

    What schools are CEP?

    • We will have 2 CEP schools for the 20-21 school year as pilot schools. The schools selected for this pilot are: L'Ouverture and Enterprise.

     

    As a parent, what do I need to do?

    • If you only have student(s) enrolled in a CEP school (L'Ouverture or Enterprise), you will not need to fill out a Meal Benefit Application to obtain free meals, you will only need to fill out the required Household Income Survey (this is part of your online enrollment information)
    • If you have student(s) in both a CEP school (L'Ouverture or Enterprise) AND non-CEP school (all other district schools), you will be required to fill out a Household Income Survey (this is part of your online enrollment information) for your CEP school students and if you want your non-CEP school students to be considered for free/reduced meal benefits, you will also need to fill out a Meal Benefit application. It is important that you include your whole household in both.

     

    Updated 7/19/20 4:30 pm

     

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    Annual Parent Letter

    Parent letters are sent every year, around the middle of July. They contain frequently asked questions such as how to apply for meal benefits and how to qualify for reduced priced text book fees. Click a link below to see the letter.

     

    Updated 7/24/20 4:30 pm

     

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    Paper Applications

    Paper applications are available at any school in the district. Click a link below to see paper application instructions.
     

     

    Paper Meal Benefits Applications will be available upon request starting 7/27/20  
     

    How to Fill out a Paper Meal Benefits Application

    Need a little help? Click on the link to see a video on how to fill out a paper Meal Benefits Application.

     How to Fill out a Paper Meal Benefits Application

     

     

     

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    Income Eligibility Guidelines

    To view the current school year's income eligibility guidelines, click one of the links below:

     

     

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    Eligibility Letter Requests

    Eligibility letters (meal status) are sent when student eligibility changes. If you need to request another eligibility letter, please click on the link.  Please note, that letter requests can take up to 2 weeks, depending on the time of year your request is received.

     

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    Online Meal Benefit Applications:

    1. Do I have to create a Titan Parent Portal account to apply online for meal benefits? No. We do encourage you to create a parent account as there are MANY benefits, including the ability to see your status on your phone and use it for consideration of reduced school fees.
    2. Do I have to create a Titan Portal account to receive status notification? No. If you don’t have a Titan Parent Portal account you will receive your notification via email if an email address is provided, otherwise by snail mail.
    3. Why do I need to student ID number when I apply online, can I just enter their name and DOB? You can enter just the student’s name and date of birth. But, if you enter the student ID as well as EXACT student name and date of birth (as shown in ParentVue or on your linked student) will potentially allow for instant status processing.
    4. Can I use my cell phone to fill out an Online Meal Benefit Application? Absolutely! You can use your cell phone to apply in one of two ways. 1 - Download the Titan Family Connect App on your phone. 2 - Visit the Titan Parent Portal by either clicking on a link or going to family.titank12.com. The Titan Parent Portal is mobile responsive, which makes using your phone or tablet easy!
    5. How do I get instant status processing for my students? You can receive instant status for your student(s) if all of the following apply:
      • You have created a Titan Parent Portal account.
      • You have submitted your Online Meal Benefits Application through your Titan Parent Portal account.
      • You entered your student’s information EXACTLY as it appears on your linked student in the Titan Parent Portal. This includes your student’s ID, First Name, Last Name and Date of Birth.
      • There is no reason for the application to be held for review (such as an issue).
    6. What happens if I don't receive instant status, what should I do? Make sure you print the online application confirmation page after submitting your online household application, it can be shown to the bookkeeper. If you did not print the confirmation page, see next question.
    7. What if I forget to print the confirmation page or I leave it at home? If you receive instant status for your student(s), you can show the bookkeeper the student’s status at that time, otherwise you will need to fill out an Agreement to Pay until you can show the bookkeeper one of the following:
      • Status letter from Nutrition Services (via email or Titan Parent Portal), from your cell phone.
      • Status letter from Nutrition Services (via mail), physical letter.
      • Titan Parent Portal linked student status, from your cell phone.
      • Confirmation page printed from online meal benefits application.

      OR

      • Your information becomes electronically available to the bookkeeper (if you filled out the Consent for Disclosure).
    8. Can I go back if I make a mistake on my online application? Once you submit the application, you can no longer make changes. You can go back and add/correct information in the application any time before you submit the application.
    9. What if I submit an online application and I don't realize I made a mistake until after? Please contact the Nutrition Services Department to request a change to your application.
    10. What if I have a case number? When you enter the application and indicate a case number, the application will compare what you entered to the criteria for a KS case number. If you match the criteria, your application will be processed normally with all the other applications. If it does not match, it will not let you go any farther. If you have a case number from another state, please complete a paper application and note the state your case is from. Otherwise, please contact Nutrition Services at 973-2160 or NSEligibility@usd259.net to inquire about your case number.
    11. What if I have a foster student? When you enter an application and indicate one of your students is a foster student, the system will not hold your application in queue due to foster status. It will only be held if there is another issue with your application, such as inability to match student(s).
    12. What will happen if I keep applying until I get the status I want? If you apply a specific number of times in a row, your household will be flagged and will be required to verify your application information.
    13. How does Nutrition Services determine which application is correct if I submit more than one? The last application is used, as long as a student was not omitted from a previous application. If there is an omission of student(s), then you will be contacted to confirm the application.
     

     

    Paper Applications

    1. How do I request a paper application? They are available at your child's school or at the Nutrition Services Department. All you have to do is ask! Please see contact information at the bottom of this page.
    2. Can I use the paper application to get reduced fees? If you elect to submit a paper application, you will need to fill out an Agreement to Pay. Once your household application is processed, you can then take the status letter (paper or electronic) to the school for a fee reduction. Your information will becomes electronically available to the bookkeeper after your application is processed by Nutrition Services (if you filled out the Consent for Disclosure).
    3. How long does it take to process? It must be processed 10 days from the date of receipt in the Nutrition Services Department. Online is WAY FASTER!

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    Foster Children

    If a student attends, but does not live in an institution, they are considered to be a member of the household in which he/she resides as a foster student.

     

    Follow the instructions below to ensure that your foster children receive FREE meals!*

     

     

    YOU MUST complete the following steps in order to obtain FREE meals:

    1. CONTACT - Contact the Nutrition Services Department (contact information at the bottom of this page) to inquire whether the student(s) in question could be considered Directly Certified by the state. If the student can be Directly Certified, the Nutrition Services Department will let you know immediately. Once they process your student, they will be FREE*.
    2. APPLY - If the Nutrition Services Department cannot Directly Certify your student, then you (foster parent) will need to fill out a Meal Benefits Application. The fastest way to do this would be online (link above). You can also fill out a paper application at the student’s school. The caseworker cannot fill out an application.
    3. CONFIRMATION – You will receive a notification from the Nutrition Services Department informing you of your student’s FREE meal benefit status. If you were told that the student could be directly certified, you should receive your notice within 1 week. If you applied for meal benefits, you should receive your notice within 2 weeks of submitting your application.

     

    *You are responsible for any charges that occur before your student(s) are processed

     

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    For Institutions Only

    If a student is living (even temporarily) in a residential child care institution, they are considered an institutionalized child.

     

    YOU MUST complete the following steps in order to obtain FREE meals:

     

    1. CERTIFY – Complete and sign the Institutionalized Child Eligibility Certification List. This signed list must be submitted to NSEligibility@usd259.net . Once they process the student, they will be FREE*.
    2. CONFIRMATION – The group home will receive a notification from the Nutrition Services department informing you of the student’s FREE meal benefit status. You should receive the notice within 1 week.

       

    *It is important to note that the group home is responsible for any charges that occur before the student(s) are processed.

     

    To download the Institutionalized Child Eligibility Certification List, click below.

     

    Institutionalized Child Eligibility Certification List 20-21

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    If you have a question about Meal Applications or Student Eligibility

     

    This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

     

     

     

Contact Us - NS Eligibility

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