District officials plan to distribute letters to RISD households about eligibility benefits and any actions necessary to receive benefits Aug. 14. Families can apply for meal benefits online or pick up a paper application at any RISD campus.
Students’ eligibility for meal benefits will be determined based on their household’s income or whether they receive income-based assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, according to a news release from the district. A student may also be eligible if they are a foster child, homeless, a runaway, a migrant or are displaced by a declared disaster.
RISD’s first day of school is Aug. 14, and parents must register in advance for their children to receive free or reduced-cost breakfast or lunch at school starting on the first day.
Under a Community Eligibility Program, several schools will serve free breakfast and lunch to all students without having to apply for meal benefits. The schools included in the program are Aikin Elementary, Audelia Creek Elementary School, Carolyn G. Bukhair Elementary School, Dobie Pre-Kindergarten School, Dover Elementary School, Forest Lane Academy, Forestridge Elementary, Liberty Junior High School, Mark Twain Elementary, O. Henry Elementary School, RISD Academy, Skyview Elementary School, Stults Road Elementary and Thurgood Marshall Elementary.
For more information on eligibility requirements, visit the district’s website.
