New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
City on a Hill Charter Public Schools is launching a new program that will offer breakfast and lunch to all students at no charge this academic year, as part of the Community Eligibility Provision. Community eligibility allows high-poverty schools to provide breakfast and lunch at no charge to all students, ensuring that they are well nourished and able to learn throughout the school day. Community eligibility reduces the district’s paperwork and school meal administrative costs, and streamlines its school meal service. All three City on a Hill schools – City on a Hill Circuit Street and City on a Hill Dudley Square, both in Boston, and City on a Hill New Bedford – qualify and will be offering this new program.
The CEP was enacted as part of the federal Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Schools are eligible for the program if at least 40 percent of its students are eligible for free meal benefits. Schools that adopt community eligibility do not collect school meal applications. Instead, the school’s meal reimbursement reflects the percentage of its students who are certified for free meals without a paper application (called “Identified Students”) because they have been found eligible for other need-based programs. That percentage is multiplied by 1.6 to determine the share of meals that are reimbursed at the “free” rate, with the rest reimbursed at the “paid” rate. For example, a school with 50 percent Identified Students would receive 80 percent of its meal reimbursements at the free rate and 20 percent at the paid rate.
“The Community Eligibility Provision is a tremendous new tool for us,” says Kennedy Hilario, Executive Director. “Now, all of our children will have access to healthy meals without fear of judgment. We know from experience that full, healthy children are much better prepared to learn and, ultimately, have greater educational success.” Community eligibility creates the opportunity for a healthier student body and a healthier school meal budget.
The CEP is sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture, an equal opportunity provider and employer, and is administered by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary. For more information about CEP and determining eligibility, visit http://www.doe.mass.edu/cnp/nprograms/cep/or www.meals4kids.org/community-eligibility-option.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.)
If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_ling_cus.html, or at any USDA Office, or call (866)-632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the inforamtion requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410, by fax (202)-690-7442 or eamil at program.intake@usda.gov.
Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contct USDA through the Federal Relay servie at (800)-877-8339; or (800)-845-6136 (Spanish).
About City on a Hill
City on a Hill Charter Public Schools is a network of three college preparatory high schools in the cities of Boston and New Bedford. Each City on a Hill school is tuition-free and open to all students. CoaH schools do not have entrance exams; students are admitted by a random lottery.
While serving students who are traditionally underserved by the public school system, City on a Hill has college-prep academic standards for all students, a strong and safe school culture, and the commitment to the structures and supports that help kids reach those high standards. With a strong emphasis on citizenship, City on a Hill teaches students that they have the power and right to make changes in their school, communities, and city.
