Oglethorpe County Schools offer free meals to all students through CEP. Here's what it means

Starting the 2024-25 school year, on August 8 , all students in Oglethorpe County Schools will receive free breakfast and lunch everyday.

Thanks to the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which Oglethorpe County Schools qualified for, this program ensures that every student can enjoy nutritious meals without the need for free or reduce meal applications.

"Thank you to our Nutrition Department for working tirelessly to ensure we can take advantage of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program this school year!" noted the Oglethorpe County School System's website.

"There will be no lunch forms coming home; however, parents of high school students may still be asked to complete a waiver form for ACT, SAT and AP testing. This news aligns with our commitment to remove barriers to student learning and ensures all students have access to nutritious meals, which is essential for their academic success!"

What is CEP?

CEP is a non-pricing meal service option for schools and school districts in low-income areas. Schools don't need to collect applications from families to offer these free meals. Instead, schools that adopt CEP get reimbursed based on how many students are already eligible for other assistance programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

How much food can students receive for free?

Each student can receive one free complete breakfast and lunch daily. However, if students wish to purchase extra entrees or snacks, they can do so using their meal account funds. Parents should note that these funds roll over year-to-year, so no worries about losing money.

It is important to remember that to receive a meal at no cost, students must take a complete meal. So, if a student wants just one item, it will be charged.

For more information, please visit oglethorpecountyga.sites.thrillshare.com

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Oglethorpe County Schools offer free meals to all students through CEP. Here's what it means