ITHACA, NY — Beginning with the fall school year, students throughout the Ithaca City School District will be able to eat free lunch and breakfast at school.
The district announced Friday that it had received additional funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Eligibility Program to cover the entire cost of meals for all students for at least the next four school years.
The cost of the meals is reimbursed through a combination of state and federal funds, without impacting local tax revenues.
Last year, six ICSD schools were approved for the program, representing 30.6% of the district’s total enrollment. This year, free lunch will be offered to all students, regardless of which school they attend or their family’s income.
Schools and school districts may be selected for the program based on their enrollment of students from low-income families, such as students eligible for Medicaid or food stamps, migrant children, foster children, or homeless children.
Schools must apply for the program and are only eligible if at least 25% of the student body meets at least one of these criteria. Last year, federal guidelines set the minimum enrollment rate of eligible students at 40%. The latest change comes amid ongoing efforts by Democrats in Congress to expand access to free universal school meals.
Offering free school lunches to all can reduce administrative costs, according to the New York State Department of Education. The program eliminates the need for low-income families to apply for free or reduced-price lunches — and saves the staffing required to process those applications each year.
Other school districts in the county, such as Dryden, Groton and Newfield Central school districts, already offer free school meals to all through the same program.
