LONGVIEW, Texas — Editor's Note: The video above aired originally on April 6, 2023.
Longview ISD announced all students will receive free food this upcoming school year.
Superintendent Dr. James Wilcox said programs like this are beneficial for some of Longview ISD's most vulnerable families.
"A child at school should never have to worry about whether or not they're going to be able to eat a good breakfast or lunch," Wilcox said. "Too many of our students face challenges outside the classroom that impede their ability to succeed in the classroom. We can’t expect our students to focus on learning if they’re hungry and don’t know where their next meal is coming from."
Since 2019, Longview ISD has been part of the Community Eligibility Provision program that provides free food to schools with high poverty rates in the community.
"When the USDA introduced the Community Eligibility Provision in 2016, Longview ISD didn't qualify for 100 percent reimbursement, making it financially impractical to implement the program at that time," said Ms. Phyllis Dozier, LISD Director of Child Nutrition. "However, the USDA later included Medicaid to benefit eligible students, raising our reimbursement percentage and allowing us to qualify for full reimbursement. It's important to note that this program doesn't consider students eligible for free/reduced meals based on income."
Currently, there are nearly 90 percent of students that qualify for free or reduced-price lunches across Longview ISD campuses.
The CEP program eliminates the collection of household applications to determine eligibility for free or reduced meals for students. Now, parents or guardians do not have to stress filling out these documents.
Longview ISD said families can rest easy knowing their children will be fed at school.