VWSD asks parents to complete form for district to offer free meals

VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — Vicksburg Warren School District is asking parents to complete a form in order for the district to continue to offer free meals to every student.

Currently the district participates in the Community Eligibility Provision, CEP. The program is a tool to ensure that children in low income communities have access to healthy school meals. CEP allows participating schools to offer healthy, free lunches and breakfasts to all students without requiring their families to complete individual applications. CEP is a result of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, and has continued to steadily expand as additional schools and districts learn of CEP’s many potential benefits.

The district will continue to offer free meals to Vicksburg and Warren County students, but the district needs parents to participate in order to continue to receive federal funds for reimbursement.

There are specific schools which need an increase in parent involvement in filling out the forms. The schools in the district are Beechwood Elementary, Bowmar Elementary, Bovina Elementary, Redwood Elementary, Warren Central Junior High School and Warren Central High School. Students from River City Early College and the Academy of Innovation are also included because they fall under Warren Central’s banner.

Associate Superintendent Eric Green addressed the Board of Trustees at the regular Board meeting held July 23.

“With the rising cost of food and the ability to feed our kids, we need to get more revenue back into our meal program. All our students will still get to eat for free at all of our locations, but it is vitally important that all of our parents fill out those meal applications at those locations,” said Green.

Parents can fill out the form either online or paper copies are available which parents can request to bypass the online option.

According to Green, this year will be what the next four years are based off when it comes to receiving funding for the free meal program. The more participation from parents will potentially result in more funding for the district.

Green also noted the form is based on household. For clarification, if a parent has a student in Beechwood, a student at WCJHS and a student at WCHS, only one application must be submitted.

The deadline for parents to fill out the forms is in September.