Madison Schools Announce Free and Reduced Meals for Students for 2022-23 School Year

Meals have been free since COVID

                                                                                                                     Dear Parents and Guardians,

The school meals program is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, school corporations across the country have been operating with the use of a federal waiver that allowed them to feed every child for free through the end of this school year. The use of this waiver will not be available after this school year and corporations will return to the traditional eligibility requirements for free, reduced, and paid meals. This means that for the School Year 2022-2023, our school corporation will process free and reduced-price meal benefit applications. The application will be available after July 1, 2022. It can be downloaded from our website and will be a part of our online enrollment for existing students once the Skyward rollover is complete. We will be communicating more once the rollover is complete and online registration is available.

The Food Services Department does have the ability to Directly Certify students who receive SNAP, TANF, some Medicaid, are certified as homeless, migrant, or are wards of the state (foster children). Households who are found to be directly certified will be notified in writing of the free or reduced-price meal status prior to the start of school and will not need to complete an application.

Meal benefit applications will not be available until July 1*, 2022. Households are encouraged to apply before the start of the school year to avoid unpaid meal charges. Students who are not approved for free or reduced-price meal benefits before the start of the school year will be classified as paid status and meal charges may begin to accumulate starting the first day of school. Meal charges accrued before the approval of a meal benefit application will be the responsibility of the household.

You DO NOT need to complete an application if:

● You receive notification that your child(ren) is/are directly certified.

● You know your household does not qualify for mean benefits. (Please have money in your child’s account on the first day of school.) Payment can be made via the online payment link can be found here through eFunds, a check made payable to your school, or cash.

2022 - 2023 Student Meal Charges:

Student breakfast - First meal is FREE, additional meal price is $1.35/meal

Elementary student (PreK-4) paid lunch - $2.50/meal

Secondary student (Grades 5-12) paid lunch - $2.70/meal

Elementary & Secondary student reduced lunch - $ .40/meal

No fast food meals may be brought into the dining room during meal service hours by students or adults.

*Applications received prior to July 1, 2022, will not be effective for the 2022-2023 school year.

Sincerely,

Judy Brooks

Food Service Coordinator