HODGDON, Maine — School bells will soon be ringing for students in southern Aroostook County as local children head back to classes Tuesday, Sept. 5.
And for those youngsters attending classes at Mill Pond Elementary School in Hodgdon, free meals will be waiting for them.
Beginning this fall, all students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade will be eligible for free breakfast and lunch, according to Superintendent Scott Richardson.
The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) was a key factor in the Healthy, Hungry-Free Kids Act of 2010 passed by the U.S. Congress. For schools to be eligible, they must have 40 percent or more of their students certified by the state through programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
“The School Lunch Committee of the SAD 70 School Board has been looking at ways to improve the lunch/breakfast program for the last year,” Richardson said. “A group of administrators from SAD 70 attended the ‘Full Plates, Full Potential’ summit at Colby College in Waterville last October and learned about programs that could reduce childhood hunger.”
Richardson said it was estimated that 60,000 children in Maine are food insecure, meaning they do not know when they will get their next nutritious meal.
“When reviewing the options, the School Lunch Committee was unanimous in recommending that SAD 70 pursue the Community Eligibility Provision for the students in our schools,” he said. “Unfortunately, only the Mill Pond School is eligible for the program under current guidelines.”
The school board accepted the recommendation of the School Lunch Committee and agreed to budget $26,000 to supplement the School Nutrition Assistance Program so that students could eat for free.
“It is the sincere hope of the school board, administration, and staff at SAD 70 that our students will receive the nutrition that they need to be successful students in their classrooms,” Richardson said. “SAD 70 also hopes that parents of students in Grades 7-12 will be able to utilize the monies saved at the elementary level to pay for breakfast/lunch for students at Grades 7-12. We understand the cost of providing meals for families with several children and hope this will make it easier for families to provide a nutritious breakfast/lunch to all their children. We anticipate that more students will choose to eat both breakfast and lunch on a daily basis.”
Applications for free/reduced lunch are not required for students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, but they are still required for those in grades 7-12 attending Hodgdon Middle/High School. All parents who have students at Mill Pond School will receive an “Economic Status Form,” which is still required to determine eligibility for state funds. This form for pre-kindergarten through sixth grade is a much simpler form but must be returned by all parents.
Parent of all students pre-kindergarten through sixth grade also are reminded that any past due bills for school lunch are still due and should be received by the school in a timely manner.
For more information, call Mill Pond School at 532-9228.
