NOTICE: Please contact the Free & Reduced Supervisor at 678-676-1777 should you have any questions.
Prior Year Application (Carryover of Eligibility):
A child’s eligibility from the previous school year is carried into the current school year for up to 30 operating days, beginning on the first operating day of school. SY 2020-2021 Meal Lunch Applications will expire on September 13, 2021.
Applications can be submitted at any time during the school year and will be processed as quickly as possible. A new application must be submitted each year. The United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Services Department has translated the state prototype Free and Reduced Price School Meal Family Application into 33 other languages.
If you are unable to use this site in the provided languages (English and Spanish) please contact the Free & Reduced Supervisor at 678-676-1777.
Verification Process takes place October 1, 2021, through November 15, 2021. During this process, we must verify eligibility of children from a random sampling pool which uses the total number of approved applications on file as of October 1 of the current school year. The sample pool depends on the number of approved applications, paper or electronic, and is not based on the number of children eligible for free and reduced price benefits.
Direct Certification is the determination of eligibility for free meal benefits based on documentation obtained from the appropriate State or local agency or other authorized individuals.
SchoolCafe Eligibility & Walkthrough for ParentsFree & Reduced Meals Application Translations
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Free and Reduced Frequent Asked Questions
No. You can use one
Free and Reduced Meal Application for all students in your household. We cannot approve an application that is not complete, so be sure to fill out all required information. Complete the online application from
www.SchoolCafe.comIt may take up to ten business days to approve your application. Students are expected to pay for full price meals and parents are responsible for all charges until the application has been approved. Completing an application online with SchoolCafe.com, and entering all required information can expedite the approval process.
Direct Certified students automatically receive free meals for the entire year. This means you have a SNAP or TANF number. You may call us to remove your child from the free and reduced program if you do not want this benefit.
Your child may have purchased an A La Carte items that are not part of the Free/Reduced meal. Also when an application approval date expires, a Free or Reduced student without payment for meals will accrue charges and the parents are liable for these charges.
Please carefully read the letter you received. Call your child’s school if you have questions or contact the Free & Reduced Supervisor at 678-676-2333
A student who changes from Free to Reduced or to Paid will be given 10 calendar days and written notice of the date of this change. A student who changes from Paid or Reduced to Free will be changed immediately to the increased benefit.
All children in households receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) or, in some STATES Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), can get free meals regardless of your income. Also, your children can get free meals if your household’s gross income is within the free limits on the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines.
Your children can get low cost meals if your household income is within the reduced price limits on the Federal Eligibility Income Chart, shown on this application.
Children in households participating in WIC may be eligible for free or reduced price meals. Please complete an application online with
SchoolCafe.comYes, foster children that are under the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or court, are eligible for free meals. Any foster child in the household is eligible for free meals regardless of income. USDA requires the foster parent to submit an application to be processed.
Yes, children who meet the definition of homeless, runaway, or migrant qualify for free meals. If you have not been told your children will receive free meals, please call our Free & Reduced Supervisor at 678-676-1777 to see if they qualify.
Yes. Your child(ren)’s application is valid for one School Year and for the first 30 days into a new School Year. You must complete a new application each School Year, unless you have received a notice that your chid(ren) have already been approved.
Yes the information may be verified and we may ask for proof of income.
Yes, you may apply at any time during the School Year. For example, children with a parent or guardian who becomes unemployed may become eligible for free or reduced price meals if the household income drops below the income limit.
No. You or your child(ren) do not have to be U.S. citizens to qualify for free or reduced price meals.
You must include all people living in your household, related or not (such as grandparents, other relatives, or friends) who share income and expenses. You must include yourself and all children living with you. If you live with other people who are economically independent (for example, people who you do not support, who do not share income with you or your children, and who pay a pro-rated share of expenses), do not include them.
If you get an off-base housing allowance, it must be included as income. However, if your housing is part of the Military Housing Privatization Initiative, do not include your housing allowance as income.
No, if the combat pay is received in addition to her basic pay because of her deployment and it was not received before she was deployed, combat pay is not counted as income. Contact our Free & Reduced Supervisor for more information at 678-676-1777.
Please contact our Free & Reduced Supervisor at 678-676-1777.
You must include the last four digits of the social security number of the adult household member who signs the application. If you do not have a social security number, you must mark the box on the application informing us that you do not have one.
Your child may be Direct Certified through the State Department of Family and Children Services or a Counselor or Principals may have applied for students known to be eligible.
The Community Eligibility Program (C.E.P) is a new alternative to the traditional meal application process as outlined by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). All students enrolled in a CEP school are eligible to receive a healthy school breakfast and school lunch at No Cost each day. (USDA CEP Guidelines)
What does it mean for you and any siblings attending another DeKalb County School? What does it mean for you and your children attending the CEP school?
Your Child(ren) will be able to participate in these meal programs without paying for meals or submitting a Free & Reduced Lunch Application. No further action is required of you. If your child (ren) leaves the CEP school and enroll in another DeKalb County School he or she will need to submit a new application to the School Nutrition Manager as soon as your child is enrolled at the new school. You have 10 days to submit a new application.
If you have child (ren) attending another DeKalb County School(s) and one school is a CEP and the other school is not; you will need to submit a Free and Reduced Application to the School Nutrition Manager for the child attending the school that is not participating in the CEP Program.
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School Nutrition Services P-EBT Update:
Department of Human Services, Division of Family & Children Services (DFCS), has administered Georgia’s Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) Cards program. The P-EBT program is not operated or funded by DeKalb County School District. DFCS obtained Free or Reduced Meal data from local school districts to determine family eligibility for P-EBT based on the 2020-2021 school year. If families were not determined eligible for Free or Reduced Meals during 2020-2021, local school districts cannot certify Free and Reduced eligibility status for school year 2020-2021.
DeKalb County School District has submitted all requested Free and Reduced Meal data for eligibility purposes. If families have questions about their 2020-2021 Free and Reduced Meal Application status, they should email DCSD School Nutrition Services at school_nutrition@dekalbschoolsga.org or contact School Nutrition Services, Free and Reduced Department at 678-676-1777. If families have questions about the P-EBT program, they should contact DFCS at 855-501-4636 or access the Pandemic-EBT webpage using the following link: https://dfcs.georgia.gov/services/pandemic-electronic-benefit-transfer.
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