Feeding brains and bodies:

the free and reduced-price meal program

2011-12 applications for free and reduced-price meals now available

Applications for free and reduced-price meals during the 2011-12 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 2011-12 school year is Oct. 1.

• FRPM application (English)

• FRPM application (español)

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 (see page 1 for a story about price increases starting this year). 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. Applications in English and Spanish are attached to the center of this newsletter.

The district encourages families to apply. Even if your child received free or reduced-priced meals in 2010-11, 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. 

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.