Cleveland Heights School District
CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio - Cleveland Heights-University Heights school district will provide free breakfast and lunch to all students.
The meals are funded by the Community Eligibility Provision, a federal program that allows schools to provide breakfast and lunch to students, regardless of income level. Right now about half of students receive free lunch, and 67 percent are economically disadvantaged.
A district becomes eligible for the program based on the percentage of "identified" students, or those who automatically qualify for assistance based on factors including being eligible for food stamps, being homeless or in foster care.
The program will not cost the district, and will run through the next five years.
Another benefit to CH-UH: Less paperwork. In the past, distribution of free meals was based on collecting household applications, which can be a hefty administrative task. The new program also reduces the stigma with receiving free meals, said Jessie Hewins, a senior policy analyst with the Food Research and Action Center.