Foster children that are under the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or court are eligible for free meals.  If a student attends, but does not live in an institution, they are considered to be a member of the household in which s/he resides as a foster student..

YOU MUST complete the following steps in order to ensure your foster children receive 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 Free and Reduced Meal Benefits Application. The fastest way to do this would be online (link above). Make sure that you mark your student(s) as a foster student. The caseworker cannot fill out an application.  Applications must be processed within 10 days of receipt.
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.

Children who meet the definition of homeless, runaway, or migrant are eligible for free meals.

The McKinney-Vento Program provides services for families to help overcome the obstacles and barriers so that their children and youth can be successful in school. If you or you know of anyone who is temporarily living in any of the following situations due to economic hardship, eviction or loss of housing, they may qualify for our services. These families do not have a regular night nighttime residence of their own.

Families are temporarily:

• doubled up living with a friend or relative
• staying in a motel or hotel
• living in an emergency, transitional or domestic violence shelter
• living in a car, public place, abandoned building or campground

Unaccompanied youth without parent or guardian support and who do not have a home may also qualify for the program.

Homeless students must be designated as homeless by the district Homeless Liaison before they can be processed for free meal benefits due to their homeless status. 

Please visit the district's MCKINNEY-VENTO Homeless Education page for further information.  

Children who meet the definition of homeless, runaway, or migrant are eligible for free meals.

Migrant students are students who have moved across school district boundaries in the past 3 years in order to get work related to agriculture or meat processing.  

Migrant students must be designated as migrant by the district Migrant Liaison before they can be processed for free meal benefits due to their migrant status.  

Please visit the district's Multilingual Education Services page for further information on the Migrant Education Program.