LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — This year, school meals will be free again for all Clark County School District students.
That's because the district participates in the Community Eligibility Provision or CEP. It's a federal program that allows the nation's highest poverty schools and districts to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to all students. Because of this program, meals are not only free this school year across CCSD, but you won't have to worry about paying for your kid's meals next year either.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, schools that adopt CEP are reimbursed using a formula based on the percentage of students categorically eligible for free meals based on their participation in other specific means-tested programs, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
"It gives kids a place they know they can get food. They're comfortable with the place. It also saves parents money, definitely lots of inflation going on, groceries are expensive. We're just trying to help our community as much as possible," said Jake Yarberry, a dietitian and menu planner at CCSD.
Yarberry said CCSD serves between 125,000 to 150,000 lunches and 60,000 to 80,000 breakfasts per day across the district. Since those meals became free during the pandemic, more students have taken advantage of their cafeteria's offerings, though Yarberry wishes more would.
"I'd like to see more of an increase. I'd like to bring awareness, that they don't need to be packing their kids' lunches, they don't need to be packing their kids' breakfast, because we provide it for them," Yarberry said.
Those free meals will be a little healthier this school year, too, because of new federal nutritional guidelines that restrict sodium content in school meals.
"This year, we've had to lower the sodium and that's made menu planning a little bit more difficult, but we do what we're told," Yarberry said.
If you're wondering what those meals will look like, you can check school breakfast and lunch menus online at menu.ccsd.net. The menus even detail the nutritional information for meals. Yarberry said things may not always go according to plan, though, when it comes to the menu.
"The supply chain issues are a big deal for us. For instance, our menus may say that the kids are going to get something last week and they may not get it this week and it may just be because the vendor can't get us what we purchased or what we're in contract with," Yarberry said.
Should there be any changes, Yarberry said the online menus will be updated.
