LOGAN — As students head back to school, the school districts want to remind parents that the federal pandemic relief has stopped for school breakfast and lunch for this year but that help is available for families struggling to pay.
“Schools nationwide are resuming charging for breakfast and lunch, due to the expiration of a federal waiver that allowed for all meals to be free,” Logan City School District Director of Communications and Public Relations Shana Longhurst said in an email to parents.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture waiver, which was put into place as a form of emergency relief during the pandemic, expired in June.
“At this time, we strongly encourage and ask that all families apply for free and reduced-price meals,” Longhurst said. “All families are encouraged to apply even if they don’t think they’ll qualify.”
According to Longhurst, breakfast will continue to be free for all enrolled students but school lunches prices for elementary schools will be $2.05 while Mount Logan Middle School and Logan High School lunches will cost $2.40.
Cache County School District Director of Student Services Curt Jenkins said the application for free or reduced lunch is based on income and the number of people in the household.
Jenkins said although there isn’t a deadline for the application, the reduced or free lunch would go into effect once the application is approved.
“If they owe lunch money, they would still have to pay the lunch money,” Jenkins said. “It doesn’t expunge any expenses prior to the application being approved.”
Both LCSD and CCSD said they would have help for parents who need help or have questions about filling out the information.
For more information, parents are encouraged to go to the following websites:
For CCSD students, go to https://www.ccsdut.org/Page/160.
For LCSD students, go to https://www.loganschools.org/income-eligibility-guidelines-for-free-and-reduced-lunch.
The application for LCSD can be accessed through your student’s Aspire account or a paper copy should have been received in the mail.