How Filling Out Free and Reduced Forms Can Help Your Child's School

FREE AND REDUCED FORMS

How Filling out Free and Reduced Hot Lunch Forms Can Help Your Child's School

Every year as we start back to school it seems like the first couple weeks of school we are sending home a mountain of paperwork. Hi Students sitting and talkingAs you shuffle through the pile, I understand that you probably decide what is worth filling out and returning and what can be left undone. This is my plea to please consider one important piece of paperwork that could benefit every single elementary student.

If every household in Boundary County would take the time to fill out the Free and Reduced Hot Lunch forms, our Title One program could receive additional funding. Free and Reduced Hot lunch forms are confidential, and the only person who sees and uses your information is BCSD’s Food Service Director, Mrs. Tammy Schneider. Even if your child qualifies for free or reduced hot lunch, it’s confidential too. Gone are the days of a separate lunch ticket or line. During lunch, the schools now have students type in their individual school numbers on a keypad, and off they go to eat their lunch. No one ever sees how much they pay for lunch. Families can fill out a new meal form any time their income decreases. Once qualifying for free meal status, it’s good for the year. No need to reapply if income goes up.

If you are wondering how filling out the Free and Reduced Hot Lunch forms can benefit your child’s school, it’s because all three elementary schools in Boundary County are eligible to receive Title One services. In addition, all three elementaries are school wide programs, which means every student can receive additional help in the areas of reading and math.

Because our Title One funding is determined by the percentage of students who qualify to receive free or reduced hot lunch, it’s important to take the time to fill out these forms. We currently have 10 highly qualified paraprofessionals working in the three elementary schools that help students and teachers meet the challenging grade-level academic standards. In addition to that, we also are able to provide all-day kindergarten with the use of Title One funds.

Please help by filling out the Free and Reduced Hot Lunch form and returning it to your child’s school. Only one form needs to be filled out per family.

If you have any questions about our Title One program, please contact the Title One Director, Lisa Iverson, at (208)267-5276 or at lisa.iverson@mail.bcsd101.com. If you have any questions about the Free and Reduced Hot Lunch forms or our Food Service Program, please contact our Food Service Director, Tammy Schneider, at (208)267-5519 or tammy.schneider@mail.bcsd101.com.