Aldine ISD Child Nutrition Services Department administers the federal/free reduced meal program. Both breakfast and lunch will be available to all students in Aldine ISD. All students, free, reduced and paid, are encouraged to enjoy breakfast and lunch each day. Aldine ISD school meals meet the Dietary Guidelines for Healthy American and the recommendations of reduced fat and saturated fat levels.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced new income poverty guidelines yearly for local school food service departments to use to determine the eligibility of free/reduced meal applicants. The income eligibility guidelines for 2004-05 can be found in the chart accompanying this article.
Children may be eligible for free or reduced price meals without application if they are listed on the Texas Education Agency Direct Certification Program. Families who are direct certified will receive a letter from Aldine ISDs Child Nutrition Services Department. This letter tells parents or guardians that their children are already approved for meal benefits. Families receiving this letter should not complete a new application. If any school-age children in a Direct-Certified family are not listed on the letter, you must complete a new application.
All families that were approved for free or reduced price meals at the end of the 2003-04 school year will receive meal service through early-September. Federal law dictates that everyone receiving free/reduced meals must reapply each year, unless they are Direct-Certified. For those who are not Direct-Certified, and feel they need assistance for the 2004-05 school year, applications are currently available in schools or at the central Child Nutrition Services Office, located at 2112 Aldine Meadows. Early completion of the application assures families faster, better service in the processing of applications.
Parents or guardians are asked to only fill out one application per family. Applications must be filled out completely and signed before they can be processed.
In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
