Beginning with the 2014-15 school year all Pittsburgh Public Schools students, regardless of family income, will receive a healthy and well balanced lunch free of charge. Students were already receiving free breakfast, but now, through the Community Eligibility Provision, the District can ensure all students are properly nourished and ready for class.
“Ensuring that all of our students have access to healthy meals daily is one of the ways we can meet the needs of the whole child,” said Director of Food Service Curtistine Walker. “With this change we hope to see an increase in student breakfast and lunch participation, a reduction in long serving lines, and the elimination of student identification issues as well as student debt from reduced and paid meals.”
The free meals are an alternative approach made possible through the Community Eligibility Provision. CEP allows school districts to offer free, nutritious meals to all students through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. The CEP uses information from other programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Temporary Assistance Program for Needy Families instead of traditional paper applications.
School meals offer students milk, fruits and vegetables, proteins and grains, and meet strict limits on saturated fat and portion size. For menus and more information about the District’s food service program, please visit: https://www.pps.k12.pa.us/domain/40
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