Chapel Hill, Smith County, TX - Chapel Hill Independent School District will continue its policy to operate the Community Eligibility Program (CEP) under the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program for the 2023-2024 school year. All students at CHISD will receive free breakfast and lunch.
Schools qualifying to operate CEP serve breakfast and lunch to all children at no charge and eliminate the collection of meal applications for free, reduced-price, and paid student meals. This new approach reduces burdens for both families and school administrators and helps ensure that students receive nutritious meals.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, schools that adopt CEP are reimbursed using a formula based on the percentage of students categorically eligible for free meals based on their participation in other specific means-tested programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
The program takes the identified students and divides them by population. Identified students are those who currently receive government assistance such as SNAP, TANF, Medicaid Free, Homeless migrant worker children, and Head Start.
Any district that has more than 40% of the identified students is eligible for the program. Chapel Hill ISD's percentage is 64.69. There is a federal multiplier of 1.6, therefore, all students will receive free breakfast and lunch at CHISD.