BLECKLEY COUNTY, Ga. — Students in Bleckley County head back to school Friday, and they're going back with some good news. The school district announced they will offer students free breakfast and lunch for the entire school year.
School Nutrition Director Kelli Green said this was possible through the federal Community Eligibility Provision. The program is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Bleckley County School District is helping parents out in a big way.
"This year is his senior year so there's going to be a lot of extra costs, I'm sure, so it helps," Kevin Beck said.
Beck has a son who attends Bleckley County High School. Instead of paying almost $3.00 per day for his child's lunch, it will be free.
“We've never been eligible for free or reduced with the lunch program, but he's always eaten school lunch,” he said. “So that's definitely a burden off of us."
According to Green, the county started using the Community Eligibility Provision at some schools starting in 2014 to feed eligible students at free and reduced costs. But this year, all five schools qualified.
“It's a relief for our office and for parents because they don't have to struggle if they were borderline where they didn't qualify but, ya know, still trying to come up with that lunch money every day," Green said.
She said the provision expanded because over 50% of students in the county were already using various federal and state food and medical benefits. It helps parents' pocketbooks, but also helps the students.
"You can't teach a kid that's hungry, it's hard for them to build and concentrate in a classroom," Green said.
The free meals take effect automatically, so parents don't need to fill out forms.
However, Green said Bleckley County students will still have to enter their school ID in the lunch line every day. This helps the schools keep track of how many meals they give out to get reimbursement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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