6 Additional Berkeley County Schools To Offer Free Meals

BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. – The Berkeley County School District announced it is adding six additional schools to the current 27 CEP schools approved by the USDA for no-cost meals.

Hanahan High, Hanahan Middle, Foxbank Elementary, Goose Creek High, Stratford High, and Berkeley High have joined 27 other district schools in receiving breakfast and lunch at no cost under the Community Eligibility Provision – or CEP.

The provision is a federally funded initiative serving schools with high percentages of students from low-income families. The program was established in 2010 and is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

CEP allows the nation’s highest-poverty schools and districts to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students without collecting household applications. Instead, schools that adopt CEP are reimbursed using a formula based on the percentage of students categorically eligible for free meals based on their participation other specific means-tested programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

By incorporating these schools, the district will enable all institutions with a student population exhibiting a 40 percent identified student ratio to become eligible for free meals. The school district requests that parents/guardians settle the outstanding negative balance promptly, as it will not be waived.

BCSD plans to commence implementation on the first day of students’ return in January, with plans to assess the remaining schools in April and evaluate new direct certification figures to determine the feasibility of expanding the CEP to additional schools.

If you have positive funds on your student’s meal account, you can request a refund here.
Funds will need to be available on student accounts if students wish to purchase a la carte items (items outside of the reimbursable meal).

BCSD’s 27 CEP schools ( * = newly added )