District of Excellence in Child Nutrition
Served 8.5 million meals during 2006-2007 school year

Policy for Providing Free or Reduced Price Meals
2007-2008 School Year

Virginia Beach City Public Schools today maintains a policy for providing free or reduced price meals for children served under the National School Lunch, and/or School Breakfast Programs. Each school and/or central office has a copy of the policy, which may be reviewed by any interested party.

Who Qualifies?

The household size and income criteria identified below will be used to determine eligibility for free or reduced price meal benefits.

• Children from households whose income is at or below the levels shown are eligible for either free or reduced price meals.
  
  
• Children who are members of food stamp households or who receive Temporary Assistance For Needy Families (TANF) are automatically eligible for free meals.
  
  
• Children who are homeless, migrant, or runaway may also be automatically eligible for free meals.
  
  
• Foster children, who are the legal responsibility of a welfare agency or court, may be eligible for benefits regardless of the income of the household with whom they reside. Eligibility for the foster child is based on the child's income.
  
  
• Children who are members of households participating in WIC may also be eligible for free or reduced-price meals based on the household’s income.

Application Process

• Application forms are being distributed to all households with a letter informing households of the availability of free or reduced price meals for their children.

• Applications are also available at the principal's office in each school and at the central office. To apply for free or reduced price meals, households must only fill out one application per household and return it to the school division.

• Applications may be submitted at any time during the school year. The information households provide on the application will be used for determining eligibility and verification of data.

• Applications may be verified at any time during the school year by school or other program officials.

• For school officials to determine eligibility for free or reduced price benefits, households receiving food stamps or Temporary Assistance For Needy Families (TANF) only have to list their child(ren)'s name, and food stamp or TANF case number, and an adult household member must sign the application.

• Households who do not list a food stamp or TANF case number, including WIC households, must list the names of all household members, the amount and frequency of the income received by each household member, and the social security number of the adult household member who signs the application.

• If the household member does not have a social security number, the household member must indicate that a social security number is not available.

• The application must be signed by an adult household member in order to be approved.

• Households may apply for free or reduced price meals at any time during the school year.

• If a household is not eligible now but has a change, such as a decrease in household income, an increase in household size, becomes unemployed or qualifies for food stamps or TANF, the household should contact the school for an application. Such changes may make the children of the household eligible for benefits if the household's income falls at or below the levels shown in the income chart.

• Households that receive food stamps or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) do not have to complete an application for free or reduced price student meals.

Approval Process

• Under the provisions of the free and reduced price meal policy, Project Support and Financial Assistants will review applications and determine eligibility .

• An application for free or reduced price meals cannot be approved unless it is complete.

• Households dissatisfied with the ruling of the eligibility determining official may wish to discuss the decision with the official on an informal basis.

• School officials will determine eligibility for free meals based on documentation, obtained directly from the Virginia Department of Social Services, that a child is a member of a household currently receiving food stamps or is receiving TANF.

• School officials will notify these households of their eligibility. Households who are notified of their eligibility, but who do not want their children to receive free meals, must contact the school.

• Food stamp and TANF households should complete an application if they are not notified of their eligibility within the first 10 days of the new school year.

• Households wishing to make a formal appeal for a hearing on the decision may make a request either verbally or in writing to:

Mr. James G. Ratliff, Jr.
Director of Food Services
Virginia Beach City Public Schools
School Administration Annex, Building 16
P.O. Box 6038 Virginia Beach, Virginia 23456
Telephone: 757.263.1101 Fax: 757.263.1527