FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT FREE AND REDUCED PRICE SCHOOL MEALS
Dear
parent/guardian:
Children need
healthy meals to learn. Carter County
School System offers healthy meals every school day. Breakfast costs
$1.40; lunch costs $2.15. Your children may qualify for free meals or for reduced price meals.
Reduced price is $.30 for breakfast and $.40 for lunch. This packet includes an
application for free or reduced price meal benefits and a set of detailed
instructions. Below are some common questions and answers to help you with the
application process.
1.
Who can get free OR REDUCED PRICE meals?
·
All children in
households receiving benefits from SNAP,
or Families First, are eligible for free meals.
·
Foster
children that are under the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or
court are eligible for free meals.
·
Children
participating in their school’s Head Start program are eligible for free meals.
·
Children who
meet the definition of homeless, runaway, or migrant are eligible for free
meals.
·
Children may
receive free or reduced price meals if your household’s income is within the
limits on the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines. Your children may qualify
for free or reduced price meals if your household income falls at or below the
limits on this chart.
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FEDERAL ELIGIBILITY INCOME CHART For School Year 2019-2020
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|
Household size
|
Annual
|
Monthly
|
Twice per month
|
Every two weeks
|
Weekly
|
|
1
|
23,107
|
1,926
|
963
|
889
|
445
|
|
2
|
31,284
|
2,607
|
1,304
|
1,204
|
602
|
|
3
|
39,461
|
3,289
|
1,645
|
1,518
|
759
|
|
4
|
47,638
|
3,970
|
1,985
|
1,833
|
917
|
|
5
|
55,815
|
4,652
|
2,326
|
2,147
|
1,074
|
|
6
|
63,992
|
5,333
|
2,667
|
2,462
|
1,231
|
|
7
|
72,169
|
6,015
|
3,008
|
2,776
|
1,388
|
|
8
|
80,346
|
6,696
|
3,348
|
3,091
|
1,546
|
|
Each additional person:
|
8,177
|
682
|
341
|
315
|
158
|
2.
HOW DO I KNOW IF MY CHILDREN QUALIFY AS
homeless, MIGRANT, OR RUNAWAY? Do the members of your household lack a permanent
address? Are you staying together in a shelter, hotel, or other temporary
housing arrangement? Does your family relocate on a seasonal basis? Are any
children living with you who have chosen to leave their prior family or
household? If you believe children in your
household meet these descriptions and haven’t been told your children will get
free meals, please call or e-mail Dr.
Jerri Beth Nave at 423-547-4007.
3.
Do I need to fill out an application for each
child? No. Use one
Free and Reduced Price School Meals Application for all students in your
household. We cannot approve an application that is not complete, so be
sure to fill out all required information. Return the completed application to:
Carter County School Nutrition
Department, 305 Academy Street, Elizabethton, TN or at 423-547-2917.
4.
SHOULD I FILL
OUT AN APPLICATION IF I RECEIVED A LETTER THIS SCHOOL YEAR SAYING MY CHILDREN
ARE ALREADY APPROVED FOR FREE MEALS? No, but please read the letter you got
carefully and follow the instructions. If any children in your
household were missing from your eligibility notification, contact Carter County School Nutrition
Department, 305 Academy Street, Elizabethton, TN or at 423-547-2917 immediately.
5.
CAN I APPLY
ONLINE? No. The Carter County School Nutrition Department does not have online
applications at this time. You may pick
an application up at your student’s school or the Carter County School
Nutrition Department, 305 Academy Street, Elizabethton, TN.
6.
MY CHILD’S
APPLICATION WAS APPROVED LAST YEAR. DO I NEED TO FILL OUT A NEW ONE? Yes. Your
child’s application is only good for that school year and for the first few
days of this school year, through September
20, 2019. You must send in a new
application unless the school told you that your child is eligible for the new
school year. If you do not send in a new
application that is approved by the school or you have not been notified that
your child is eligible for free meals, your child will be charged the full
price for meals.
7.
I GET WIC. CAN
MY CHILDREN GET FREE MEALS? Children in households participating in WIC may
be eligible for free or reduced price meals. Please send in an application.
8.
Will the information I give be checked? Yes. We may also ask you to send written proof of the
household income you report.
9.
If I don’t qualify now, may I apply later? Yes, you may
apply at any time during the school year. For example, children with a parent
or guardian who becomes unemployed may become eligible for free and reduced
price meals if the household income drops below the income limit.
10.
What if I disagree with the school’s decision
about my application? You should talk to school officials. You also may ask
for a hearing by calling or writing to: Dr. Kevin Ward, 305 Academy Street, Elizabethton, TN 37643;
423-547-4000.
11.
May I apply if someone in my household is not a
U.S. citizen? Yes. You, your children, or other household members do
not have to be U.S. citizens to apply for free or reduced price meals.
12.
What if my income is not always the same? List the amount that you normally receive. For example, if you
normally make $1000 each month, but you missed some work last month and only
made $900, put down that you made $1000 per month. If you normally get
overtime, include it, but do not include it if you only work overtime
sometimes. If you have lost a job or had your hours or wages reduced, use your
current income.
13.
WHAT IF SOME HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS HAVE NO INCOME TO REPORT? Household
members may not receive some types of income we ask you to report on the
application, or may not receive income at all. Whenever this happens, please
write a 0 in the field. However, if any income fields are left empty or blank,
those will also be counted as zeroes. Please be careful when leaving
income fields blank, as we will assume you meant to do so.
14.
We are in the military. do we REPORT OUR INCOME DIFFERENTLY? Your basic pay and cash bonuses must be reported as income. If you
get any cash value allowances for off-base housing, food, or clothing, it must
also be included as income. However, if your housing is part of the Military
Housing Privatization Initiative, do not include your housing allowance as
income. Any additional combat pay resulting from deployment is also excluded
from income.
15.
WHAT IF THERE ISN’T ENOUGH SPACE ON THE APPLICATION FOR MY FAMILY? List
any additional household members on a separate piece of paper, and attach it to
your application. Contact Carter County
School Nutrition Department, 305 Academy Street, Elizabethton, TN or at
423-547-2917 to receive a second
application.
16. My
family needs more help. Are there other programs we might apply for? To find out how to apply for SNAP or other assistance
benefits, contact your local assistance office or call 1-866-311-4287.
If you have
other questions or need help, call 423-547-2917.
Sincerely,
Lindsey Feathers
HOW TO APPLY FOR FREE AND REDUCED
PRICE SCHOOL MEALS
Please use
these instructions to help you fill out the application for free or reduced
price school meals. You only need to submit one application per household, even
if your children attend more than one school in Carter County School System.
The application must be filled out completely to certify your children for free
or reduced price school meals. Please follow these instructions in order! Each
step of the instructions is the same as the steps on your application. If at
any time you are not sure what to do next, please contact Carter County School
Nutrition Department at 423-547-2917 or via email dianaduncan@carterk12.net.
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STEP 1: LIST ALL HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS WHO ARE
INFANTS, CHILDREN, AND STUDENTS UP TO AND INCLUDING GRADE 12
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Tell us how many infants,
children, and school students live in your household. They do NOT have to be
related to you to be a part of your household.
Who should I
list here? When
filling out this section, please include ALL members in your household who are:
·
Children age 18 or under AND are supported with the household’s
income;
·
In your care under a foster arrangement, or qualify as homeless,
migrant, or runaway youth;
·
Students attending Carter County Schools, regardless of age.
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A) List each
child’s name. Print each child’s name. Use one line of the application
for each child. When printing names, write one letter in each box. Stop if
you run out of space. If there are more children present than lines on the
application, attach a second piece of paper with all required information for
the additional children.
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B) Is the child a student at Carter County Schools? Mark ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ under
the column titled “Student” to tell us which children attend Carter County
Schools. If you marked ‘Yes,’ write the grade level of the student in the
‘Grade’ column to the right.
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C) Do you have any foster children? If any children listed are foster children,
mark the “Foster Child” box next to the child’s name. If you are ONLY applying for foster
children, after finishing STEP 1,
go to STEP 4.
Foster children who live
with you may count as members of your household and should be listed on your
application.
If you are applying for both foster and non-foster children, go to step 3.
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D) Are any children homeless, migrant, or
runaway? If you believe any child listed in this section meets this
description, mark the “Homeless, Migrant, Runaway” box next to the child’s
name and complete all steps of the application.
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PLEASE USE A PEN (NOT A PENCIL) WHEN
FILLING OUT THE APPLICATION AND DO YOUR BEST TO PRINT CLEARLY.
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STEP 2: DO ANY HOUSEHOLD
MEMBERS CURRENTLY PARTICIPATE IN SNAP or FAMILIES FIRST
|
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If anyone in your household (including you)
currently participates in one or more of the assistance programs listed
below, your children are eligible for free school meals:
·
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
·
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Families First.
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A) If no one in your household participates
in any of the above listed programs:
·
Leave STEP 2 blank and go
to STEP 3.
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B) If anyone in your household participates
in any of the above listed programs:
·
Write a case number for SNAP or Families First. You only need to provide
one case number. If you participate in one of these programs and do not know
your case number, contact your local assistance office or call
1-866-311-4287.
·
Go to STEP 4.
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STEP 3: REPORT INCOME FOR
ALL HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS
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How do I report my income?
·
Use the charts titled “Sources
of Income for Adults” and “Sources
of Income for Children,” printed
on the back side of the application form to determine if your household has
income to report.
·
Report all amounts in GROSS INCOME ONLY. Report all income in whole
dollars. Do not include cents.
o Gross income is the total
income received before taxes.
o Many people think of income
as the amount they “take home” and not the total, “gross” amount. Make sure
that the income you report on this application has NOT been reduced to pay
for taxes, insurance premiums, or any other amounts taken from your pay.
·
Write a “0” in any fields where there is no income to report. Any
income fields left empty or blank will also be counted as a zero. If you
write ‘0’ or leave any fields blank, you are certifying (promising) that
there is no income to report. If local officials suspect that your household
income was reported incorrectly, your application will be investigated.
·
Mark how often each type of income is received using the check boxes
to the right of each field.
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3.A. REPORT INCOME EARNED BY
CHILDREN
|
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A) Report all income earned or received by
children. Report the combined gross income for ALL children listed in STEP
1 in your household in the box marked “Child Income.” Only count foster
children’s income if you are applying for them together with the rest of your
household.
What is Child
Income? Child income is money
received from outside your household that is paid DIRECTLY to your children.
Many households do not have any child income.
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3.B REPORT INCOME EARNED BY ADULTS
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Who should I list here?
·
When filling out this section, please include ALL adult members in
your household who are living with you and share income and expenses, even
if they are not related and even if they do not receive income of their own.
·
Do NOT include:
o People who live with you
but are not supported by your household’s income AND do not contribute income
to your household.
o Infants, Children and
students already listed in STEP 1.
|
|
B) List adult household
members’ names. Print the name of each household member in the boxes
marked “Names of Adult Household Members (First and Last).” Do not list
any household members you listed in STEP
1. If a child listed in STEP 1
has income, follow the instructions in STEP
3, part A.
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C) Report earnings from work. Report all income from
work in the “Earnings from Work” field on the application. This is usually
the money received from working at jobs. If you are a self-employed business
or farm owner, you will report your net income.
What if I am self-employed? Report income from that
work as a net amount. This is calculated by subtracting the total operating
expenses of your business from its gross receipts or revenue.
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D) Report income from public assistance/child support/alimony.
Report all
income that applies in the “Public Assistance/Child Support/Alimony” field on
the application. Do not report the cash value of any public assistance
benefits NOT listed on the chart. If income is received from child
support or alimony, only report court-ordered payments. Informal but regular
payments should be reported as “other” income in the next part.
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E) Report
income from pensions/retirement/all other income. Report all income that
applies in the “Pensions/Retirement/ All Other Income” field on the
application.
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F) Report total
household size. Enter the total number of household members in the field
“Total Household Members (Children and Adults).” This number MUST be equal to
the number of household members listed in STEP 1 and STEP 3. If
there are any members of your household that you have not listed on the
application, go back and add them. It is very important to list all household
members, as the size of your household affects your eligibility for free and
reduced price meals.
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G) Provide the
last four digits of your Social Security Number. An adult household
member must enter the last four digits of their Social Security Number in the
space provided. You are eligible to apply for benefits even if you do not
have a Social Security Number. If no adult household members have a Social
Security Number, leave this space blank and mark the box to the right labeled
“Check if no SSN.”
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STEP 4: CONTACT
INFORMATION AND ADULT SIGNATURE
|
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All
applications must be signed by an adult member of the household. By signing
the application, that household member is promising that all information has
been truthfully and completely reported. Before completing this section,
please also make sure you have read the privacy and civil rights statements
on the back of the application.
|
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A) Provide your
contact information. Write your current address in the fields provided if
this information is available. If you have no permanent address, this does
not make your children ineligible for free or reduced price school meals.
Sharing a phone number, email address, or both is optional, but helps us
reach you quickly if we need to contact you.
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B) Print and sign your name and write today’s date. Print the name of the
adult signing the application and that person signs in the box “Signature of
adult.”
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C) Mail
Completed Form to:
Carter County Schools Nutrition
Department
305 Academy Street, Elizabethton,
TN 37643
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D) Share children’s racial and ethnic identities
(optional).
On the back of the application, we ask you to share information about your
children’s race and ethnicity. This field is optional and does not affect
your children’s eligibility for free or reduced price school meals.
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You may pick up a Free and Reduced Priced School Meals Family Application at your student's school, the Nutrition Department, or print one off below. Please turn in the completed forms to the school cafeteria manager or Nutrition Department. If you have any questions, please call 423-547-2917.
USDA Nondiscrimination Statement
