Feeding brains and bodies:
the free and reduced-price meal program
2012-13 applications for
free and reduced-price meals now available
Applications for free and reduced-price meals during the
2012-13 school year can be downloaded by clicking either link below. The
applications are available in English and Spanish (You'll
need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open this form. Get that program free
here). The application deadline for the 2012-13 school year is Oct. 1.
The free and reduced-price meal program
The City School District of Albany offers a healthy
breakfast and lunch every day to help assure that kids can fill their
brains without being distracted by empty stomachs.
Breakfast costs $1.50 at all schools. Lunch
is $2.25 for elementary students and $2.50 at the middle schools and
high school.
However, your child can receive breakfast and lunch
free or for as little as 25 cents for each meal if your family is
eligible for the free and reduced-price meal program.
Families that receive food stamps or Aid to Dependent
Children (ADC/TANF) qualify. Your family may qualify as well, and we
encourage families to apply.
The district encourages families to apply. Even if
your child received free or reduced-priced meals in 2011-12, you must
submit a new application to the district before Oct. 1 to continue this
program for the upcoming school year.
Is your family eligible for free or reduced-price
meals?
If your total household income is the same or less
than the amounts in the chart below, your children are eligible for free
or reduced-price meals.
|
Household size |
Annual Income |
Monthly Income |
Weekly income |
|
1 |
$20,665 |
$1,723 |
$398 |
|
2 |
$27,991 |
$2,333 |
$539 |
|
3 |
$35,317 |
$2,944 |
$680 |
|
4 |
$42,643 |
$3,554 |
$821 |
|
5 |
$49,969 |
$4,165 |
$961 |
|
6 |
$57,295 |
$4,775 |
$1,102 |
|
7 |
$64,621 |
$5,386 |
$1,243 |
|
8 |
$71,947 |
$5,996 |
$1,389 |
|
For each additional
family member, add: |
$7,326 |
$611 |
$141 |
Four easy steps
to apply for free and reduced-priced meals
After receiving the
application form from your child's school or from the link above,
follow these steps:
1. List all students in
your household
2. List all adults and their income and/or Social Services
information
3. An adult must sign the application and note his/her social
security Number
4. Submit a completed application to:
Food Service
Department
Arbor Hill
Elementary School
1 Arbor Drive
Albany, NY 12207
Students
without an
approved application as of Oct. 1, 2012, will have to pay
full price for their meals.
How to apply
To get free or reduced-price meals for your
children you may do one of the following:
·
Submit a Direct Certification letter received from
the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance; OR
·
Carefully complete one application, stapled into
the center of this newsletter, for your household.
Return either form to:
Food Service Department
City School District of Albany
c/o Arbor Hill Elementary School
1 Arbor Drive
Albany, NY 12207
Food stamp and TANF numbers
If you now receive food stamps or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
(TANF) for any children, your application must include your children’s
names, the household food-stamp or TANF case number and the signature of
an adult household member.
All children with the same case number may be listed on the same
application. Separate applications are required for children with
different case numbers.
If you do not list a food-stamp or TANF number for all the children for
whom you are applying, the application must include the names of
everyone in the household, the amount of income for each household
member, and how often it is received and where it comes from (see
the chart for more information about eligibility).
Your application must include the signature of an adult household member
and that adult’s Social Security number, or the word “none” if the adult
does not have a Social Security number. An application that is not
complete cannot be approved.
Contact your local Department of Social Services for your food-stamp or
TANF case number, or complete the income portion of the application.
Verification
The school may ask you at any time during the school year to verify your
eligibility. You will be notified, in writing, if you have been selected
for verification. School officials may ask you to send papers showing
that your child should receive free or reduced-price meals.
Reporting changes
The benefits that you are approved for at the time of application are
effective for the entire school year. You no longer need to report
changes for an increase in income or decrease in household size, or if
you no longer receive food stamps.
Nondiscrimination statement
This explains what to do if you believe you have been treated unfairly.
In accordance with federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture
policy, the school is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of
race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability.
To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of
Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410
or call (800) 795-3272 or (202) 720-6382 (TTY). USDA is an
equal-opportunity provider and employer.
Fair Hearing
If you do not agree with the school’s decision on
your application or the result of verification, you may wish to discuss
it with the school. You also have the right to a fair hearing. This can
be done by calling the district’s assistant superintendent for business
affairs at 475-6020. You also can request a fair hearing in writing at 1
Academy Park, Albany, NY 12207.
Confidentiality
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved the release of student
names and eligibility status, without parent/guardian consent, to
persons directly connected with the administration or enforcement of
federal education programs such as Title I and the National Assessment
of Educational Progress (NAEP).
These are U.S. Department of Education programs used to determine the
allocation of funds to schools, to evaluate socioeconomic status of the
school’s attendance area and to assess educational progress.
Information also may be released to state health or state education
programs administered by the state agency or local education agency,
provided the state or local education agency administers the program,
and federal, state or local nutrition programs similar to the National
School Lunch Program.
Additionally, all information contained in the free and reduced-price
application may be released to persons directly connected with the
administration or enforcement of programs authorized under the National
School Lunch Act (NSLA) or Child Nutrition Act (CNA).
This includes the National School Lunch and School
Breakfast programs, the Special Milk Program, the Child and Adult Care
Food Program, Summer Food Service Program and the Special Supplemental
Nutrition Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC); the Comptroller
General of the United States for audit purposes; and federal, state or
local law-enforcement officials investigating alleged violation of the
programs under NSLA or CNA.
The disclosure of eligibility information not specifically authorized by
NSLA requires a written consent statement from the parent/guardian.
|
