Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)

If your child attends a CEP School (Gray M. Sanborn, Jane Addams, Kimball Hill, Lake Louise, Lincoln, Virginia Lake, Willow Bend, Winston Campus Elementary, Carl Sandburg, Walter R. Sundling, Winston Campus Middle School, or John G. Conyers Learning Academy), students receive free meals BUT the CEP Program DOES NOT automatically extend a waiver of student fees for families.

In order to receive a waiver of student fees based on low household income or based on a financial hardship in the family, an application must be completed and returend to the school. 

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) sets the guidelines for the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program based on the number of economically disadvantaged students in a building. 

For the 2025-26 school year, these schools are not currently eligible for the CEP program:

• Central Road Elementary School
• Frank C. Whiteley Elementary School
• Hunting Ridge Elementary School
• Marion Jordan Elementary School
• Pleasant Hill Elementary School
• Stuart R. Paddock Elementary School
• Thomas Jefferson Middle School
• Plum Grove Middle School

The CEP program begins on the first day of school at all eligibile schools.

Breakfast—Breakfast will be served to students before school, if they arrive prior to the start of the school day. Students arriving when school begins will be offered a grab-and-go option to be eaten at their desks. 

Lunch—For lunch, students should notify their teacher in the morning that they would like to receive a lunch that day. 

Students are entitled to one free breakfast and one free lunch per day. Any additional meals or a la carte items may be purchased using funds in your School Cafe account.

If your child attends a CEP school, you no longer need to complete any paperwork to receive free or reduced-price meals. No other action is needed. All students in these schools are entitled to receive one free breakfast and one free lunch each day.

However, this program does not extend to a waiver for student fees. To apply for a waiver of student fees based on low household income or on a financial hardship in the family, an application must be completed and returned to the school. See "My school is part of the CEP program. Are student fees also automatically waived?" 

No, participation is voluntary. Parents may elect to pack a lunch for their child if they’d prefer to do that. All meals exceed USDA mandated requirements and align with USDA dietary guidelines.