Cheatham County Schools Explains Meal Price Increase, CEP Eligibility

The district encouraged families to complete a Free and Reduced-Price Meal Application, even if they are unsure whether they qualify. (Photo: CCSD)

Ahead of the school year, The Cheatham County School District issued a message to families addressing questions, concerns and feedback about recent changes to school meal prices.

The district said it understands that any increase in meal costs affects families and wanted to provide information about how school meal prices are determined, as well as explain the federal Community Eligibility Provision, or CEP. CEP is the program that allows all students in eligible schools to receive breakfast and lunch at no cost.

According to the district, its School Nutrition Program is required to be self-sustaining, meaning it must operate using meal reimbursements and meal sales. The district said meal prices have not increased in four years, but rising food, labor and operating costs made a price adjustment necessary to maintain the program’s financial health.

The district encouraged families to complete a Free and Reduced-Price Meal Application, even if they are unsure whether they qualify. Cheatham County Schools said the State of Tennessee uses information from those applications to determine eligibility and funding opportunities for districts.

Each year, the district evaluates whether it qualifies for CEP. The district said the USDA generally recommends that districts have an identified student percentage of approximately 65% or higher for CEP to be financially sustainable. Cheatham County Schools said its current CEP rate is 27.4%, and no school in the district is above 50%. According to the district, USDA guidance indicates CEP participation would not be financially sustainable for the nutrition program at this time.

The district said many families who may qualify for meal benefits do not complete an application. Increasing the number of completed applications could improve the district’s CEP percentage and potentially help schools meet eligibility thresholds in the future.

Families may be eligible for free meals if they receive SNAP or Families First benefits, if a child is a foster child under the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or court, if a child participates in the school’s Head Start program, or if a child is identified as homeless, runaway or migrant.

Children may also qualify for free or reduced-price meals based on household size and income under federal guidelines. The district listed reduced-price meal income examples of up to $29,526 for a family of one, $40,034 for a family of two, $50,542 for a family of three, and $61,050 for a family of four.

Cheatham County Schools said no child in the district is ever denied a meal because of an inability to pay. The district also said student meal benefit status is kept confidential, with all students entering an identification number on a keypad during meal service.

Families needing help completing a Free and Reduced-Price Meal Application may contact school staff. Additional eligibility and application information is available on the district website at https://bit.ly/3RyALIX.

Cheatham County Schools said families can help strengthen the School Nutrition Program and increase future funding and program eligibility opportunities by completing the Free and Reduced-Price Meal Application and encouraging others to do the same.