Beginning in the 2024-2025 school year, Red Oak ISD students will receive FREE breakfast and lunch meals after the District enrolls for the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP).

The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) meal service option that allows schools and local educational agencies (LEAs) in qualifying areas to offer meals at no cost to all enrolled students without collecting household meal applications.

All Red Oak ISD schools qualify to operate the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and will provide breakfast and lunch to all children at no charge and eliminate the collection of meal applications for free, reduced-price, and paid student meals. This new approach reduces burdens for both families and school administrators and helps ensure that students receive nutritious meals.

The program will include ALL Red Oak ISD students who will choose an entrée, grain, veggie, fruit, and milk for meals at breakfast and lunch. The program does not cover additional items including, but not limited to, second entrees or meal items, ala carte, snacks, etc.

Because all Red Oak ISD students will receive free breakfast and lunch, parents will not need to complete and return the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) free and reduced-price meal application.

However, Red Oak ISD is still required to collect and report the socioeconomic status of each student via a socioeconomic information form (SIF). The information collected is sent to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to ensure campuses receive federal and state funds appropriately.

To capture that data, a socioeconomic information element has been included in the 2024-2025 Enrollment and Registration packets which will allow the District to collect information that determines other district funding. Parents/caregivers may be asked to resubmit the form if the information was not completed during enrollment.

All parents/caregivers must complete an updated Socioeconomic Information Form (SIF) each year. Changes to the SIF may be submitted through a paper form at your student’s campus. Socioeconomic information is also utilized in the annual State accountability ratings, ensuring that each campus is compared to other campuses with the same percentage of economically disadvantaged students.

Families must complete the form so that schools can receive federal and state funding (i.e., Title I and State Compensatory Education), which directly impacts campuses and students throughout the District. Title I and State Compensatory Education funding can be used for personnel, tutoring services, technology, and professional development for teachers.