Bristol Tennessee City Schools (BTCS) is pleased to announce that beginning second semester, the district will participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which will provide free breakfast and lunch to all students at no cost without families having to submit a meal application.
According to Jennifer Burleson, BTCS school nutrition director, there are a variety of benefits to implementing CEP in the district—the most important being that more students will have access to healthy meals and be better prepared to learn. In addition, eliminating meal applications and unpaid meal fees reduces the burden for families and lessens the administrative workload for the district.
Students may still purchase food items outside the reimbursable meals, such as a la carte items. For these additional purchases, parents may continue to upload money to their child’s account via MySchoolBucks.
“Providing free meals to all students in our district is another step to ensuring equity,” said Burleson. “Access to nutritious meals is vital to students being able to focus on learning and succeeding in the classroom. In addition, participation in school meals reduces food insecurity, obesity rates, and poor health.”
CEP is made possible through the United States Department of Agriculture Special Assistance Certification and Reimbursement Community Eligibility Provision. School districts 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 and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
For additional information about CEP or the school nutrition program, please contact the BTCS School Nutrition Department at (423) 652-9222.