More students expected to get free, reduced-price meals
By DIANA SROKA - dsroka@nwherald.com
Area school officials anticipate that the number of applicants for free or reduced-price meals will climb this year.
“We expect to see more applications because of the economy,” said Cheryl Lawrence, food service director for District 158. “It’s been going up this last year.”
Typically about 6 percent of the students enrolled in the Huntley school district take advantage of the federal program, which provides low cost or free meals to students based on their parents’ finances.
During the 2008-09 school year, that figure rose to about 8 percent, Lawrence said. She predicted that it would reach 10 percent this year.
Although it’s a sign of the financial stress that parents are under amid a tumultuous economy, not being able to afford food also can be stressful for children. To keep the focus on studies, school officials make sure that students who receive free or reduced-price meals don’t stand out in the lunch line.
“It’s confidential,” Lawrence said. “We have it coded in such a way that only the cashiers [see]. Nobody’s supposed to know what’s happening.”
To qualify for free or reduced-price meals – typically lunch – parents must complete a one-page application.
The application can be submitted at any point during the school year, but parents who want the perk to kick in by the first day of school should allow 10 days for processing.
Eligibility for the free or reduced-price meal program is based on federal guidelines.
Children from families with total annual household incomes at or below 130 percent of the poverty level qualify for free meals, according to the Illinois State Board of Education, or ISBE. Students from families with total annual household incomes between 130 percent and 185 percent of the poverty level qualify for reduced-price meals.
By this year’s standards, students from two-member households having an annual income of less than $26,955 qualify for at least a reduced-price meal. Students from three-member households qualify for at least a reduced-price meal if the annual income is less than $33,874.
The state doesn’t set standards on how much full-price meals cost, but reduced-price lunches cannot exceed 40 cents, according to ISBE.
Some districts provide extra assistance for families who qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
In Nippersink District 2, student fees are lowered for students eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
“Our board has a fee policy that is scalable based on families’ eligibility for free lunch that can dramatically reduce their cost for school fees,” said Paul Hain, business manager.
Prairie Grove District 46 waives the cost of participating in school activities, Superintendent Mary Fasbender said.
“These are people that are just really down on their luck,” Fasbender said. “We as a school district want to support the children and the families so they can still get the best education possible.”
Free and reduced-price meals
Lowest, median and highest student participation rates in free or reduced-price meal program in McHenry County during the 2008-09 school year:
Lowest
• Prairie Ridge High School, Crystal Lake District 155: 2.25 percent.
• Glacier RIdge Elementary School, Crystal Lake District 47: 2.45 percent.
MEDIAN
• Husmann Elementary School, Crystal Lake District 47: 15.19 percent.
• McHenry Middle School. McHenry District 15: 15.9 percent.
HIGHEST
• Jefferson Elementary School, Harvard District 50: 61.8 percent.
• Central Elementary School, Harvard District 50: 62.43 percent.
Source: Illinois State Board of Education
