Most students in the area can get free meals this school year after the expansion of the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs in Ohio.
Those programs offer reimbursements to school districts so they can offer no-cost meals to all students.
Area superintendents, including Claymont’s Brian Rentsch, say this year more districts qualify for free meals through Ohio’s Community Eligibility Provision.
In Tuscarawas County, districts offering free meals include Claymont, New Philadelphia, Tusky Valley, Indian Valley, Newcomerstown, Tuscarawas Central Catholic and Dover,
Eligibility is based on the percentage of students in a district who are already certified for income-based assistance or are homeless, migrants, federal Head Start participants or foster children.
The USDA this year lowered the threshold for eligibility from 40 percent to 25 percent.
Copyright WTUZ Radio Inc., 2024