Free & Reduced Meal Benefits
Important Note
School meals are no longer universally free to all students for the 22-23 school year. We encourage all families to fill out a free and reduced meal benefit application in order to determine if your student qualifies for benefits. On August, 17, 2022, students will be charged for both breakfast and lunch unless they qualified for for free or reduced benefits during the 21-22 school year. Families that completed an application and were approved for free & reduced meal benefits in 21-22 have a grace period of until September 28th to reapply for benefits. Families who qualify for free and reduced price meals may also receive P-EBT benefits and have access to other waived fees within the district.
More information related to the changes:
Why are meals no longer free?
During COVID, Congress allowed the United States Department of Agriculture to grant waivers allowing all students to eat for free. These waivers were granted to reduce barriers that school nutrition programs would have ensuring all students had access to nutritious meals, regardless of their learning environment or family financial situation based on COVID. These waivers have expired and are no longer in effect, which means that for school year 2022–2023, students will be charged for both breakfast and lunch unless they qualify for free or reduced priced meals.
Do I need to submit a free and reduced price meal application for this school year?
YES! LPS requests families that believe they might qualify for free or reduced price meals to complete an application for school year 2022-2023 prior to August 17th. Families that qualified for free or reduced price meals in 2021-2022 school year will be provided a 30 day grace period at the beginning of the 2022–2023 school year. We all know the beginning of the school year is chaotic and this helps ensure a family who qualifies will not be charged for meals starting in August. However, if a new application isn't received by the end of the grace period, you will be charged for any meals starting September 29th.
I qualified for reduced price meals, what will meals cost?
If you qualified for reduced price meals, then your meals are actually free! The state of Colorado covers the difference in cost.
I don’t qualify for free or reduced priced meals, do I need to do anything?
If you do not believe you qualify for free or reduced price meals, please make sure that there is money on your students account. You can add money onto their account at https://linqconnect.com.
If I do not submit a free and reduced application prior to the first day of school and/or if my student does not have money in their account, what will happen?
In LPS, we never take meals away from students. If you have not submitted an application and do not have money in your student's account, your student will be allowed to charge meals into the negative on their account. Families are responsible for paying outstanding balances.
Benefits Extension
Prior Year Free and Reduced Price Meal Benefits Extended 30 Days into the 2022–2023 School Year!
If your student qualified for free or reduced meal benefits last school year, those benefits will be extended into the first 30 days of the 2022-2023 school year. A new application must be completed each school year. Any application that is not completed and processed within the first 30 days of the school year, will be changed to paying status. While at this time all students are eating for free, once USDA funding ends in June 2022, students will be charged at their eligibility status. Families are held responsible for any charges that accrue anytime between benefit status lapses. Get your applications completed soon! Applying online is the fastest way to get your application processed, or pick up an application from your school's front office or kitchen staff.
2022-2023 Free & Reduced Meals Application
2022-2023 Aplicación de Comidas Gratis y a Precio Reducido
Colorado P-EBT
In an effort to support Colorado’s families during the COVID-19 epidemic, the Colorado Department of Human Services and Department of Education have teamed up to secure USDA approval to issue Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) benefits to school-age children who would have received free or reduced-price meals during the time that schools have been closed.
