BRUNSWICK COUNTY — Brunswick County Schools announced Wednesday free breakfast and lunch will be offered to all students — with no enrollment necessary — for the entire 2019-2020 school year.
The school system is transitioning to The Community Eligibility Provision Program(CEP), a National School Lunch Program that offers non-priced alternatives for low-income school districts. CEP serves as an alternative to offering household applications to determine eligibility for free and reduced meals.
Related: Brunswick County Schools to host free summer meals program open to all kids and teens
Districts are eligible if more than 40% of “identified students” qualify for free meals. This is determined outside of individual applications, and instead, uses welfare and other eligible poverty data. According to Brunswick County’s announcement, “Hurricane Florence put all our schools in the eligible category.”
“Hurricane Florence’s impact on our students and families put the district in a position where this is possible due to the number of affected households,” Daniel Seamans, Brunswick County Schools’ spokesperson wrote in a press release. “We sincerely hope this helps each and every family still recovering from the devastating impact of last year’s natural disaster.”
During the 2017-2018 school year, 58% of students qualified for free or reduced lunch through individual applications in Brunswick County, according to the Department of Public Instruction.
No sign-ups, enrollment, or paperwork is necessary to receive free meals this upcoming school year.
