All Orange County Public Schools students to get free meals this school year

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — All Orange County Public Schools students will receive free meals this upcoming school year, the district announced Monday.

“We believe every student deserves access to healthy and nutritious meals regardless of socioeconomic status,” the district said in a statement.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

The district said all existing OCPS schools will implement the “Community Eligibility Provision,” which means all students will receive all their school meals at no charge.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a non-pricing meal service option for schools and school districts in low-income areas.

Read: Orlando leaders, Hertz and OCPS collaborate to expand electric vehicles in the community

The USDA says CEP allows the nation’s highest-poverty schools and districts to provide meals without collecting household applications.

The district said parents and guardians will still be able to add funds to their students’ accounts for them to purchase a la carte “Smart Snacks.”

Read: A local district looks to ban students using cellphones entirely during school hours

Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.

©2023 Cox Media Group