Fuck you, DeSantis. Nice to know that our cHilDrEn are top of mind when dealing with crisises in our state. Can't get those kickbacks if you're giving children \*checks notes\* food.

Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, there will be 37 schools that will no longer be providing free lunch meals through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). Instead, families with students attending these schools will need to complete an application for free or reduced-price meals to receive meal assistance or be directly certified through the State. The full list of affected schools is included below.

These schools do not meet the criteria for the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), a federal program that allows schools to offer free meals to all students. To qualify as a CEP school, 40 percent of enrolled students must be eligible for free or reduced-price meals through other government programs such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) or TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) or Medicaid.

This change comes after a careful review of our budget for the upcoming school year. Since March 2020, we’ve been able to offer free meals to all students districtwide thanks to federal pandemic relief funding. However, that funding has ended, and continuing the program without it is no longer financially sustainable.