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National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program

 
HOW DO I KNOW IF MY CHILDREN QUALIFY AS homeless, MIGRANT, RUNAWAY, or Head Start? Do the members of your household lack a permanent address? Are you staying together in a shelter, hotel, or other temporary housing arrangement? Does your family relocate on a seasonal basis? Are any children living with you who have chosen to leave their prior family or household? If you believe children in your household meet these descriptions and have not been told your children will qualify for free meals, please contact the school for more details.

DO I NEED TO COMPLETE AN APPLICATION FOR EACH CHILD? No. Use one Application for Free and Reduced-Price Meals for all children in your household. We cannot approve an application that is not complete, so be sure to fill out all required information. Return the completed application to: school site, cafeteria, or district office.

SHOULD I COMPLETE AN APPLICATION IF I RECEIVED A LETTER THIS SCHOOL YEAR SAYING MY CHILDREN ARE ALREADY APPROVED FOR FREE MEALS? No, but please read the letter you received carefully and follow any instructions. If any children in your household were missing from your eligibility notification, please contact the district office immediately.

MY CHILD’S APPLICATION WAS APPROVED LAST YEAR. DO I NEED TO FILL OUT A NEW ONE? Yes, if you want to participate in the meal program. Your child’s application is only good for that school year and for the first few days of this school year. 

I RECEIVE WOMEN, INFANTS AND CHILDREN (WIC) BENEFITS. CAN MY CHILDREN RECEIVE FREE MEALS? Children in households participating in WIC may be eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Please complete an application and return it for processing.

Will the information I provide be checked? School officials may check the information on the application at any time during the school year. You may be asked to send information to prove your income, or current eligibility for CalFresh, CalWORKS, FDPIR, or Kin-GAP. 

If I do not qualify now, may I apply later? Yes, you can apply at any time during the school year.  For example, children with a parent or guardian who becomes unemployed may be eligible for free and reduced-price meals if the household income drops below the income limit.

What if I disagree with the school’s decision regarding my application? You should talk to the school officials. You may also ask for a hearing by calling: Superintendent, Black Oak Mine USD, at (530) 333-8300.

May I apply if someone in my household is not a U.S. citizen? Yes. You, your children, or other household members do not have to be U.S. citizens to apply for free or reduced-price meals. 

What if my income is not always the same? List the amount that you normally receive. For example, if you normally make $1,000 each month, but you missed some work last month and only made $900, state on the application that you made $1,000 per month.  If you normally receive overtime, include it, but do not include it if you only occasionally work overtime. If you have lost your job or had your hours or wages reduced, use your current income.

WHAT IF SOME HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS HAVE NO INCOME TO REPORT? Household members may not receive some types of income we ask you to report on the application, or may not receive income at all. Whenever this happens, please write a “0” in the income field. However, if any income fields are left empty or blank, those will be counted as zeros. Please be careful when leaving income fields blank, as we will assume you meant to do so.

We are in the military. do we REPORT OUR INCOME DIFFERENTLY? Your basic pay and cash bonuses must be reported as income. If you get any cash value allowances for off-base housing, food, or clothing, or receive Family Subsistence Supplemental Allowance payments, it must also be included as income. However, if your housing is part of the Military Housing Privatization Initiative, do not include your housing allowance as income. Any additional combat pay resulting from deployment is also excluded from income.

If you have other questions or need help, please contact Renee Hedden at (530) 333-8300 ext 231, rhedden@bomusd.org, 6540 Wentworth Springs Rd, Georgetown, CA 95634.