SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — The grace period to apply for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) will end on Friday, Sept. 29, meaning that anyone who missed out will no longer receive free or reduced-price lunches at San Angelo schools. So, how do you apply?

The San Angelo Independent School District stated in an article that the answer is as simple as a quick visit to a website. Households can visit schoolcafé.com and fill out an online application to sign up for the NSLP. Only one application needs to be completed per household.

“Your application may mean both free or lower-priced meals for your child and more federal and state dollars directed to your child’s school and district,” SAISD said in the article. “There are several factors that determine family eligibility for free or reduced lunches, so all families are encouraged to apply.”

SAISD’s lunch prices for the 2023-2024 school year. Image courtesy of SAISD.

Certain factors must be met by a household looking to file for aid from the NSLP, however. Some of the criteria are as follows:

  • The household income is at or below the income eligibility levels
  • The household is or is not receiving aid from the Supplemental Nutrition Insurance Plan (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)
  • The applied child’s status as a foster child, homeless, runaway, migrant or child displaced by a declared disaster
  • Whether or not the applied child is enrolled in the Head Start or Even Start programs

“Student eligibility numbers for schools are also a factor in school qualification for money for supplies and materials needed at the campus,” SAISD said in the article. “Last year, money determined based on eligible applications helped fund SAISD campus programs like take-home-to-read book packs.”

According to SAISD, applications will be examined by Kelly Graf, SAISD’s Free and Reduce clerk, to determine a household’s eligibility according to the provisions of the free and reduced-price meal policy. Additionally, SAIDS states in the article that “households wishing to make a formal appeal for a hearing on the decision may make a request either orally or in writing to Dr. Merl Brandon, Asst. Supt. of Business, 1621 University Ave., (325) 947-3838, merl.brandon@saisd.org.”

Applicants are discouraged from sending in both an online and paper application and encouraged to apply using just one of the two methods. Paper applications can be picked up at the Child Nutrition Office at 305 Baker St. or printed off from SAISD’s website. Completed paper applications can be sent to the Child Nutrition Office or faxed to 325-658-4353.

For more information about the free and reduced meal price applications, visit SAISD’s webpage for the topic. For those who need additional assistance, contact Graf at Kelly.Graf@saisd.org or call the Child Nutrition Office at 325-659-3615. SAISD also has a walkthrough video online detailing how to go through the application process.