Peter B. FitzGerald Community School, a program of the Santa Barbara County Education Office’s Juvenile Court and Community Schools program, announced the policy for providing free and reduced-price meals for children served under the National School Lunch Program. The school or central office has a copy of the policy, which may be reviewed by any interested party.
The household size and income criteria that follows will be used to determine eligibility for free, reduced-price, or full-price meal benefits. Children from households whose income is at or below the levels shown are eligible for free or
reduced-price meals.
Children who receive CalFresh, California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs), Kinship Guardianship Assistance Payments (Kin-GAP), or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) benefits.
Application forms are being distributed to all households with a letter informing them of the availability of free and reduced-price meals for enrolled children. Applications are also available at the school.
To apply for free or reduced-price meal benefits, households must complete an application and return it to the school for processing. Applications may be submitted at any time during the school year. The information households provide on the application will be used to determine meal eligibility and may be verified at any time during the school year by school or program officials.
Requirements for school officials to determine eligibility for free and reduced-price benefits are as follows:
For households receiving CalFresh, CalWORKs, Kin-GAP, or FDPIR benefits – applications need only include the enrolled child(ren)'s name, CalFresh, CalWORKs, Kin-GAP, or FDPIR case number, and the signature of an adult
household member. All children in households that receive CalFresh, CalWORKS, Kin-GAP, or FDPIR are eligible for free meals, and if any child is not listed on the eligibility notice, that household should contact their school to have benefits extended to that child.
For households who do not list a CalFresh, CalWORKs, Kin-GAP, or FDPIR case number, the application must include the names of all household members, the amount and source of the income received by each household member, and the signature and corresponding last four digits of a Social Security number of an adult household member. If the household member who signs the application does not have a Social Security number, the household member must indicate on the application that a Social Security number is not available.
Under the provisions of the free and reduced-price meal policy, the determining official(s), as designated by the sponsor/agency, shall review applications and determine eligibility. Parents or guardians dissatisfied with the eligibility ruling may discuss the decision with the determining official on an informal basis. Parents may also make a formal request for an appeal hearing of the decision and may do so orally or in writing with the sponsor/agency’s hearing official. Parents or guardians should contact their child(ren)’s school(s) for specific information regarding the name of the determining official and/or hearing official for a specific school, agency, or district.
If a household member becomes unemployed or if the household size increases, the household should contact the school. Such changes may make the children of the household eligible for benefits if the household's income falls at or below the levels shown above.
Households that receive CalFresh, CalWORKs, Kin-GAP, or FDPIR benefits may not have to complete an Application for Free or Reduced-Price Meals or Free Milk . School officials will determine eligibility for free meals based on documentation obtained directly from the CalFresh, CalWORKs, Kin-GAP, or FDPIR office that a child is a member of a household currently receiving CalFresh or FDPIR benefits or an assistance unit receiving CalWORKs or Kin-GAP benefits. School officials will notify households of their eligibility, but those who do not want their
child(ren) to receive free meals must contact the school. CalFresh, CalWORKs, Kin-GAP, and FDPIR households should complete an application if they are not notified of their eligibility within 10 calendar days. Households will also be notified of any child’s eligibility for free meals if the individual child is categorized as foster, homeless, migrant, runaway, enrolled in an eligible Head Start, or enrolled in an eligible pre-kindergarten class.
Foster children are eligible for free meals and may be included as a household member of a foster family if the foster family chooses to also apply for the non-foster children. Including foster children as a household member may help the non-foster children in the household qualify for free or reduced-price meal benefits. If the foster family is not eligible for meal benefits, this does not prevent foster children from receiving free meal benefits.
Children in households participating in Women, Infants and Children (WIC) may be eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Contact school officials for further information or complete an application for processing.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and
where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.)
If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information
requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or by fax (202) 690-7442 or by email at program.intake@usda.gov. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech
disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339; or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish).
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Note: The only protected classes covered under the Child Nutrition Programs are race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability.
Further information is available from the Santa Barbara County Education Office, Rene Wheeler, Juvenile Court and Community Schools, at 967-5307.
