Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)

Overview


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The CEP provides an alternative approach for offering school meals in local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools in low-income areas, instead of collecting individual household applications for free and reduced-price meals. The CEP allows schools that predominantly serve low-income children to offer free, nutritious school meals to all students through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP). The CEP uses information from other programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Family Assistance (TFA), instead of traditional paper applications.

The Identified Student Percentage (ISP) determines eligibility to participate in the CEP and is also the basis of federal reimbursements for meals served to students in CEP schools. As defined in 7 CFR 245.9(f)(1)(ii) and based on the  benefits programs available in Connecticut, identified students include:

  • students directly certified through specific federal benefits programs (e.g., the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Family Assistance (TFA);
  • students directly certified through Medicaid where applicable (where approved by the USDA to conduct matching with Medicaid data to identify children eligible for free meals); 
  • homeless children, migrant children, runaway children, and Head Start children (approved for free school meals without application and not subject to verification); and 
  • foster children certified for free meals through means other than an application for free and reduced-price school meals.

The ISP is calculated by dividing the total number of identified students by the total number of enrolled students. The ISP may be determined by an individual participating school, a group of participating schools in the local educational agency (LEA), or in the aggregate for the entire local educational agency if all schools participate, following procedures established in USDA guidance.

As required by Section 7 CFR 245.9(f)(3)(i) of the USDA regulations, the minimum ISP is 25 percent. To be eligible for the CEP, an individual school, group of schools, or LEA must have an ISP greater than or equal to 25 percent as of April 1 of the school year prior to implementing the CEP.

CEP Benefits

  • All students receive free lunches and breakfasts.
  • Household applications for free and reduced-price meals are eliminated.
  • No verification is required (districts still complete the annual Verification Collection Report).
  • Potential increase in participation for lunch and breakfast.

CEP Final Rule

 

 

Nondiscrimination Statements (USDA and CSDE)