SMITH COUNTY, Texas — Chapel Hill ISD has approved free breakfast and lunch for all students through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP).
The decision was made during the school board meeting on Monday.
The CEP is a non-pricing meal service option for schools and school districts in low-income areas. It allows the nation’s highest poverty schools and districts to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students without collecting household applications. Instead, schools that adopt CEP are reimbursed using a formula based on the percentage of students categorically eligible for free meals based on their participation in other specific means-tested programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
The new program will be in place starting with the 2020-21 school year.
