MEDIA CONTACT
Megan Moore, Communications Director
Telephone (803) 821-1152 (W); (803) 239-0131 (M)

NEWS RELEASE — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, July 10, 2023

Pelion-area schools eligible for no-cost meals

LEXINGTON, S.C. — Forts Pond Elementary, Pelion Elementary, Pelion Middle and Pelion High in Lexington County School District One is participating in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for the 2023–24 school year.

Section 104(a) of the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 amended section 11(a)(1) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1759a(a)(1))(the law) to provide an alternative to household applications for free and reduced-price meals in local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools with increased levels of low-income students. This alternative is referred to as the Community Eligibility Provision. All students enrolled in the school/district may participate in the breakfast and lunch program at no charge to them. Families will not have to fill out meal applications.

Breakfast and lunch meals follow the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines for healthy school meals. Please encourage students to participate in the school meal programs.

You may contact your Food Service and Nutrition Director Deidre Yonce for additional information.

Parents or guardians that do not want their child/children to participate in CEP may wish to discuss this matter with Deidre Yonce, food service and nutrition director, on an informal basis.

Parents wishing to make a formal appeal may make a request either orally or in writing to Jennifer Miller, chief financial officer, whose address is P.O. Box 1869, Lexington, SC 29071-1869, (803) 821-1000 for a hearing to appeal the decision.

More Information:

The Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act requires the information on this application. You do not have to give the information, but if you do not, we cannot approve your child for free or reduced price meals.

You must include the last four digits of the social security number of the adult household member who signs the application. The last four digits of the social security number is not required when you apply on behalf of a foster child or you list a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) case number or other FDPIR identifier for your child or when you indicate that the adult household member signing the application does not have a social security number. We will use your information to determine if your child is eligible for free or reduced price meals, and for administration and enforcement of the lunch and breakfast programs. We MAY share your eligibility information with education, health, and nutrition programs to help them evaluate, fund, or determine benefits for their programs, auditors for program reviews, and law enforcement officials to help them look into violations of program rules.

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at:

https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture; Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights; 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; Fax: (833)256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; Email: program.intake@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

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